Leading Republican officials on Wednesday sought to ignore Donald Trump’s formal step into the 2024 presidential contest, insisting there were more pressing priorities as GOP leaders grappled with the fallout of a major midterm disappointment.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said it was much too early for Republicans to focus on the next presidential election when asked about a brewing GOP divide during a news conference the morning after Trump’s announcement. Declining to say the former president’s name, DeSantis, a potential Trump rival in 2024, said he was focused instead on Georgia’s upcoming Senate runoff and his governing priorities in Florida.
“We just finished this election. People need to chill out a little bit on some of this stuff, I mean seriously,” DeSantis said. The 44-year-old Republican governor continued: “At the end of the day, it’s been a long election, we’ve got the Georgia runoff, but for me it’s like, OK, what more do we need to do to continue to make Florida lead the way? We’re going to be focusing on that.”
The sentiment was echoed by leading Republicans across Ohio, New Hampshire and Washington as the GOP grappled with rising internal tensions and questions about its future following a deeply disappointing midterm cycle. History suggested the Republicans should have celebrated massive gains last week, but the sweeping victory party leaders predicted did not materialize as Trump loyalists were defeated across several swing states.
