Wooing conservatives in Trump country, DeSantis stays quiet on rival’s indictment
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Saturday condemned Walt Disney World and the U.S. Justice Department — not his chief Republican rival, Donald Trump — as he courted Nevada Republicans deep in the heart of Trump country.
The U.S. “is off the rails,” the Republican governor said. “Insanity is reigning supreme.”
Speaking to Nevada Republicans for the first time as a presidential candidate, DeSantis made no direct mention of the federal indictment of Trump, who is facing dozens of felony counts for mishandling classified documents.
“We’re going to end this weaponization of government once and for all,” said DeSantis, donning an untucked short-sleeve shirt from a podium adorned with bales of hay and bull horns.
The comments come as the GOP’s crowded 2024 presidential class grapples with how to respond to Trump’s recent indictment. While some have raised serious concerns about the charges, DeSantis has largely ignored the situation, touching on it only generally by attacking the Justice Department.
Indictment accuses Trump of keeping classified and top-secret documents regarding defense and weapons capabilities of U.S. and foreign countries.
It’s unclear if DeSantis, who trails Trump in many polls, can catch him by avoiding one of the dominant issues in the race.
The debate was playing out as DeSantis courted more than 2,000 conservatives, many of them Trump loyalists, who gathered for the annual Basque Fry event at a western Nevada ranch.
DeSantis’ team believes he is well-positioned to compete with Trump in Nevada, which will be one of the first four states to host a presidential primary contest early next year.
Beyond issues like his “war on woke,” DeSantis hopes to benefit from a close personal connection with a top Republican leader. Adam Laxalt, a former state attorney general and the host of Saturday’s gathering, was a roommate of DeSantis during naval officer training and has remained a friend. Despite serving as Trump’s Nevada chairman during the 2020 election, Laxalt has lined up behind DeSantis by becoming chairman of his national super PAC.
DeSantis formally launches his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in a technically challenged rollout.
“I believe Gov. DeSantis is the only person in America who can win the primary and the general and be a conservative warrior for all of us,” Laxalt said as he introduced the candidate.
Despite Laxalt’s optimism, it was unclear Saturday how many Republican voters in this pivotal western state were convinced to abandon Trump. There was a smattering of polite applause as the early speakers tried to cast DeSantis as the GOP’s best hope in 2024.
Don Fautt, a Republican voter from nearby Sparks, Nev., said he would support DeSantis in the primary only if Trump were not on the ballot.
“Trump is the only guy who can go in and fix things,” Fautt insisted. “I get tired of his mouth, but I’ll tell you what: He’s a warrior. He’ll fight. That’s what we need.”
Once he took the stage, DeSantis played up his willingness to fight any and all political opponents — especially Disney.
The feud between the Florida governor and the Florida entertainment giant started last year after the company, in the face of significant pressure, publicly opposed legislation concerning lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity that critics called “Don’t Say Gay.”
President Biden struck an economic populist message before union members in Philadelphia during the first rally of his 2024 reelection campaign.
As punishment, DeSantis took over Disney World’s governing district through legislation passed by lawmakers and appointed a new board of supervisors.
Laxalt’s annual Basque Fry was modeled after cookouts hosted by his grandfather, U.S. Sen. Paul Laxalt, the son of a Basque immigrant shepherd. In recent years, the event has emerged as a key stop on the Republican presidential circuit, drawing rising stars who hope to boost their White House ambitions and endear themselves to voters through sampling the local fare. Unlike the pork chops and butter sculptures of the Iowa State Fair, the cuisine at the Basque Fry includes beans, chorizo and — for those daring enough — the event’s signature fried lamb testicles.
DeSantis spent much of the afternoon in a barn with VIPs and event sponsors before taking the stage. His wife, Casey, chatted with attendees outside the barn after her children played on the inflatable bull.
Carlene Rader, a retiree from Carson City, Nev., said she’s leaning toward DeSantis over Trump. She said she’s particularly upset about the allegations against Trump outlined by federal prosecutors last week. The indictment charged the former president with 37 felony counts — many under the Espionage Act — that accuse him of illegally storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and trying to hide them from investigators who demanded them back.
“He’s done a lot of things that he shouldn’t have done,” Rader said. “Trump’s had his time. I like DeSantis a little better.”
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