Have you noticed that Ron DeSantis has been attacking Donald Trump from the right? He is saying that Trump has moved to the left on abortion, that he is the one responsible for the COVID shutdowns and the vaccine mandates, that he has long been supportive of the LGBTQ+ cause, and that he lacks concern for the woke agenda.
And DeSantis is basically correct about all of that. See this and this and this.
DeSantis isn’t doing so well, though, mainly because Trump’s supporters will follow him anywhere and because so many anti-Trump Republicans, not liking the way DeSantis is emphasizing the culture war, want someone more moderate.
Meanwhile, other Republican candidates seem to be more pro-war when it comes to Ukraine and more supportive of the big corporations than Trump is.
Could it be that Trump, for all of his indictments and his furious persona and despite his portrayal in the media, is actually the moderate in this race?
If so, will this also make his supporters more moderate (less insistent on abortion bans, less negative about LGBTQ+ issues, less worried about woke ideology, as Trump is)? Is their allegiance to the man, rather than either his actions or his policies, or might they rally to an alternative candidate who more fully accords with their conservative beliefs? Conversely, are moderates so opposed to the man that they might rally to a candidate who is more conservative than Trump is?
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