Joe Scarborough thinks DeSantis should forgo 2024 POTUS run and leave field clear for 'champ' Trump

Sarah D | 9:50 AM on January 20, 2023

With each passing day, speculation about a 2024 Ron DeSantis presidential campaign seems to grow exponentially. DeSantis has yet to make an announcement either way. That’s not the case for Donald Trump, of course. Trump only waited about five minutes after the midterm elections before announcing his own candidacy.

The thing is that while Trump’s announcement was probably supposed to be a big deal, much like his NFT unveiling, it landed with more of a thud than a boom. You might think that the media would be thrilled about that, because they’ve been getting their kicks for years making fun of Trump. Instead, they seem to be having some trouble enjoying themselves. Almost as if they’re nervous about something. Almost as if, given the opportunity to see a different Republican presidential contender enter the race, they’d rather pass on it.

Take a look at this clip from “Morning Joe” and see if you get that feeling, too:

Looks like DeSantis will run in '24 pic.twitter.com/7mJ5VMvIZJ

— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) January 20, 2023

Gee, it sure sounds like Joe and Mika want the 2024 GOP presidential field cleared for Donald Trump.

This is wishcasting
pic.twitter.com/GKtu7IGCs0

— Isaac Schorr (@isaac_schorr) January 20, 2023

Oh weird, Morning Joe telling people not to run against Trump. Wonder why. https://t.co/XN8nmcj3GA

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) January 20, 2023

“Morning Joe” seems particularly invested in Ron DeSantis staying out of the race. What’s up with that?

Morning Joe def has his finger on the pulse of what DeSantis is internally debating 🙄 https://t.co/z2yfhLuIwH

— Just Mindy 🐊 (@just_mindy) January 20, 2023

Heh. Always with his finger on the pulse, that Joe.

Maybe Joe and Mika are hoping for another pre-primary invite to Mar-A-Lago?

— Jason Epstein (@Southfive) January 20, 2023

Hmmm. We suppose that’s possible. After all, until Donald Trump emerged as the 2016 frontrunner, Joe and Mika thought he was the bee’s knees, and they were more than happy to party with him at Mar-a-Lago and gush over him on their show. But maybe it’s even simpler than that. Maybe they’re just afraid that Ron DeSantis could win. To be fair, they probably should be.

Ron DeSantis is not without his flaws — no politician is — but one of the key ways in which he differs from Donald Trump is that he could actually pose a very real threat to the Democratic Party. He’s already demonstrated that in Florida.