At RNC, signs of how Ron DeSantis left his mark on Donald Trump’s Republican Party

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis didn’t make it far in the Republican presidential primary, but if the Republican National Convention is any indication, he still managed to leave his mark on Donald Trump’s party.

DeSantis’ influence was apparent Tuesday night on the floor of the Fiserv Forum, where reception to the governor’s bravado-filled, prime-time speech was warm despite his attacks on Trump during early this year the Republican primary.

And it was subtly written into the positions that Republicans voted overwhelmingly this week to adopt in a new party platform — the first for the GOP since 2016.

The document — a streamlined 16-page outline that at times read like it was lifted from one of Trump’s rally speeches — was widely seen as a testament to the former president’s influence over the GOP, abandoning long-held Republican dogmas on free trade, immigration and abortion rights.

But buried in the platform were a bevy of references to some of DeSantis’ biggest policy priorities: cutting funding for schools that push “critical race theory,” restoring so-called “Parental Rights in Education” and cracking down on “woke” — a catchall term used frequently by DeSantis to deride progressive ideology.

The platform underscores how DeSantis has helped mold modern Republican ideology, despite GOP voters’ rejection of his bitter and ill-fated primary challenge of Trump.

“DeSantis had a huge impact on the party,” said Saul Anuzis, a Republican consultant and former Michigan GOP chairman. “He’s led by example, and that plays well for him, both in the short term and in what his potential future is.”

Prime-Time Speech

DeSantis’ reputation was on display this week at the party’s nominating convention, where the party is suddenly focused on unity following the attempt to assassinate Trump over the weekend. DeSantis got a prime-time speaking slot despite initially being left off the gathering’s speaking roster.

Spectators jammed into an already-noisy Fiserv Forum in downtown Milwaukee ahead of DeSantis’ remarks, while Trump settled in to listen to speeches from the Florida governor and another former Republican primary rival, ex-South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.

When DeSantis took the stage, he received applause and cheers before he launched into some of his greatest hits — railing against diversity, equity and inclusion programs, destroying the “woke mind virus” in Florida and transforming the state from a longtime political battleground into reliably Republican territory.

“For decades, my home state saw elections determined by razor-thin margins,” DeSantis said. “Today, due to bold leadership, the Democratic Party lies in ruins. The left is in retreat, freedom reigns supreme, the woke mind virus is dead and Florida is a solid Republican state.”

Electing Trump in November, he said, would give Republicans the chance to do for the country what he did for Florida.

Trump, who once called DeSantis “ungrateful,” looked on approvingly from his seat in the arena.

DeSantis’ standing in the GOP

Anuzis, the former Michigan GOP chairman, said that it wasn’t only smart, but necessary for Trump to bring DeSantis into the convention. Regardless of DeSantis’ own presidential ambitions, he said, the Florida governor will have a role to play in the party’s future.

“He’s part of the next generation of leaders in the Republican Party that represents where the mainstream of the party is,” Anuzis said. “He’s willing to fight the fight in a way that makes sense to people.”

For now, however, DeSantis’ own presidential ambitions are on hold. Not only has he already failed once to capture the Republican presidential nomination, but Trump’s decision to tap 39-year-old JD Vance as his running mate sets the U.S. senator from Ohio up to succeed Trump as the GOP favorite in 2028, when DeSantis is believed to be eyeing another White House bid.

One longtime DeSantis ally and donor said that the governor is less concerned for now with his political future and more focused on the 2024 elections, including helping Trump’s campaign and opposing a pair of proposed constitutional amendments in Florida that would legalize recreational marijuana and safeguard abortion access in the state.

On Tuesday, ahead of DeSantis’ convention speech, a newly formed political action committee tied to DeSantis — Restore our Nation — blasted out a message to donors urging them to watch the governor’s remarks and donate to “support Donald Trump for president.”

Still, DeSantis met in Milwaukee Wednesday with members of the convention delegation from Iowa, the state that holds the first vote in the Republican presidential nomination process, generating talk about 2028.

On the convention floor Tuesday evening, reaction to DeSantis’ involvement in Milwaukee was generally positive, but muted. Most Republicans who spoke to McClatchy said they like him, but he ought to wait for a better opportunity.

“He has a good future,” said Joanna Harbour, an Oregon attorney.

“The future of the party is Trump-Vance,” said Brandon Gill, a congressional candidate from Flower Mound, Texas.

David Pickren, a chief technical officer at an AI company in Houston, said “no” when asked if DeSantis should be president anytime soon. “He’s doing a heck of a lot of great things. The way the train is moving, Vance blocks him for the short term.”

But Michael Barnett, a Palm Beach County commissioner and Florida delegate, thought DeSantis would run for president in four years — and win.

“It’s going to be a crowded primary,” Barnett said. “DeSantis wins. He has a two term track record with an amazing economy in South Florida.”