On September 1, 1939, World War II began in Europe. Great Britain and France declared war on Germany after the invasion of Poland.
Despite several probes and spin-off campaigns, the Western Allies didn’t behave as if it was a real war until the invasion of France in May 1940.
The British called these eight months the “Strange War”. But that inevitably ended, and the war became all too real.
The fake war of the 2024 campaign is over.
For six months after Donald Trump’s statement, when Trump attacked Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida stayed on the sidelines.
He was busy doing his job, signing a staggering variety of his conservative proposals that the Florida legislature passed.
But except for a few thinly veiled nudges from Trump, he has not publicly gone to war for the presidency. It ended on Wednesday.
DeSantis made good use of this time, constructing a large-scale and well-funded campaign operation and collecting endorsements. It touts an unprecedented army of campaign staff on the bottom who will knock on the door in the early primary states.
Leading the national polls, Trump is acting as if the race is over, even speculating that he may skip the debates.
But historically the tip of May is just not that late to start. Trump in 2016 and George W. Bush in 2000 entered mid-June; Joe Biden ran the 2020 race in late April.
Even before the announcement, DeSantis was closing in on Trump in the early states and well ahead of other Republicans.
Now DeSantis can introduce himself to a national audience that has often heard his name but never actually met him.
Trump is nearly 77 years old and has been known for over 40 years. Biden is 80 years old and ran for president in 1987.
Hillary Clinton was at the middle of our politics for a quarter of a century until 2016. American politics has not had a fresh face for a while.
No offspring of wealth
DeSantis is, in a way, a return to the past.
Republicans have nominated people from humble beginnings like Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon and Dwight Eisenhower, but more recently they’ve elected heirs to wealth and privilege just like the Trumps, the Bushes, Mitt Romney and John McCain. DeSantis is the son of unusual middle-class Floridaers who made it through college.
The party nominated military veterans; DeSantis served in the Iraqi Navy. Republicans ruled for 2 terms with governors of enormous states equivalent to Reagan and George W. Bush; DeSantis has proven that he can rule a diverse, populous Florida and make it much redder during his re-election.
At 44, he would even be the primary GOP candidate under 50 since Nixon in 1960, and the primary under 60 in 20 years.
From COVID to culture wars to law enforcement, Trump’s instincts were less essential than his inability to impose his will on the federal government and mobilize public opinion.
DeSantis was successful on each counts.
In 2022, Trump forced the party to nominate multiple unsuccessful candidates; DeSantis picked the winners in Florida and shared the wealth of his fundraising prowess. He is not going to be overworked or fired.
After seven years of Trump’s leadership of the party, Republican voters deserve a real selection. Now they’ve one.
It’s on.