Why the Anti-Anti-Trumpers Need Ron DeSantis
Why the Anti-Anti-Trumpers Need Ron DeSantis
Plus: Blue Check Trainwreck.
Recently in The Bulwark:
CHARLIE SYKES: Identity Politics Comes for a Best-Selling Novelist
JVL: Trump and Showing Red To Get Green đ and Swiss Watches and Swedish Appliances
You can support The Bulwark by subscribing to Bulwark+ or just by sharing this newsletter with someone you think would value it.
NICHOLAS GROSSMAN: Why the Anti-Anti-Trumpers Need Ron DeSantis
IT WASNâT THAT LONG AGO THAT Ron DeSantis looked like Donald Trumpâs heir apparentâbeloved by the base, but with mainstream appeal, basically âTrump without the baggage.â Now the narrative has flipped. DeSantis is struggling: Back in January, he was just 13 points behind Trump in the RealClearPolitics national polling average; today Trump is ahead by more than 30. Some state polls had shown DeSantis ahead in Iowa or New Hampshire, but now heâs behind (often by a lot).
Itâs almost a year until the first votes, and a lot could change. DeSantis hasnât announced yet, he still has funding, and he could still win people over. Trump could crack under legal pressure, sending all but his ardent fans looking for an alternative. Declaring DeSantis dead would be a mistake, not least because every other GOP candidate is polling in the single digits.
But Trump looks like the favorite, lobbing attacks DeSantis ignores and lining up endorsements from DeSantisâs home state. Some conservatives are saying the Florida governor should wait until 2028.
đĽ PODCASTS AND VIDEOS đ§
Bulwark+ members can listen to an ad-free version of these podcasts on the player of their choice. Learn more at Bulwark+ Podcast FAQ.
CATHY YOUNG: Blue Check Trainwreck.
The recent Battle of the Blue Checks (who has them? who doesnât? who doesnât want them but has them anyway?) undoubtedly counts as one of the dumbest episodes in Twitter historyâand thatâs saying a lot. But it is also, in its immense stupidity, a fitting symbol of the broader culture wars.
A quick recap of how the saga unfolded over the last half-year: Soon after his acquisition of Twitter in October 2022, Elon Musk ordered those employees he hadnât yet fired to unveil a paid âTwitter Blueâ service that would replace the old verification system. Initially, the subscription was going to cost $19.99 a month and âlegacy usersâ were going to lose their blue checkmarks within 90 days if they did not pay up. After an outcry, Musk offered to lower the fee to $8 a month in an exchange with author Stephen King.
đ¨OVERTIMEđ¨
Happy Monday! Wrexham did it! The Welsh football club owned by two celebrities won their league and got promoted and there wasnât a dry eye (or shirt) at the race track.
Tucker was blindsided⌠According to reporting from Gabriel Sherman: âCarlson has told people he believes his controversial show is being taken off the air because the Murdoch children intend to sell Fox News at some point." He got a surprise Monday phone call after his email was shut off. Brian Stelter suggests the real reason for Tuckerâs departure probably lies within the redacted portions of the Dominion exhibits.
A few years ago, I mocked a failed bit on Tuckerâs show and it went viral on Twitter. Out of nowhere, I got this from the Tuck himself:
Not only did I get this framable email, Tucker had to bring on Greg Gutfeld on the show the following day to explain his joke and why, actually, it was funny. And who could forget this? Hereâs a montage to remember Tuckerâs, er, legacy.
RFK is running a Republican campaign⌠In a Democratic primary.
âI Really Didnât Want to GoâŚâ on the Goop Cruise. (The thing David Foster Wallace never did again.)
Rightwing Edgelords⌠Are the Real Threat to National Security
Back in Cleveland⌠A judge denied a police chiefâs request to reveal an anonymous commenterâs identity.
Why should we trust science? Because it doesnât trust itself! A worthwhile pod from our friends at Connors Forum.
The Georgia election interference charges⌠Are coming⌠in July?
A dispatch from the Fringes⌠Yes, MAGA rap is real. Unfortunately.
Meanwhile, in Georgiaâ Fringes⌠Theyâre becoming mainstream.
âŚAnd in Michigan⌠Ottawa county goes to war with itself.
Americaâs smallest bank⌠Is dying and perhaps too small to survive.
Canadaâs Ketchup wars⌠How Heinz made a costly mistake.
Is this⌠where the âparallel economyâ is going?
Tech support questions? Email members@thebulwark.com. Questions for me? Respond to this message.
â30â
Editorial photos provided by Getty Images. For full credits, please consult the article.