Donald Trump and his camp have made it pretty clear to Republicans that if you do not get in line behind him, he will try to destroy your career.
Trump may have just delivered on that promise to Rep. Bob Good (R-VA).
Talking Points…
- Good endorses DeSantis
- Trump vows revenge
- Analysis
Rep. Good put himself on the wrong side of Trump during the Republican primary. Good endorsed DeSantis shortly after the Florida governor announced that he would run for president. Good stated:
"Governor Ron DeSantis has shown through action as Florida's chief executive that confronting hard challengers delivers effective results for every man, woman and child.
"That strength in the face of adversity is needed more today than ever before, and it is why I am unequivocally endorsing and encouraging Governor DeSantis to run for president. ... If Governor DeSantis runs for president, he will win."
Good, the pro-Trump House Freedom Caucus chair, endorsed Trump after DeSantis dropped out. In January, he announced:
"It is my privilege to provide my complete and total endorsement for Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States. President Trump was the greatest President of my lifetime, and we need him to reinstate the policies that were working so well for America."
After DeSantis dropped out, Trump stated that he wanted to unite the party to beat Joe Biden, yet he and his surrogates vowed revenge against Good, even though Good and said that he would be "doing everything I can to help ensure he is reelected president." He even called on other DeSantis supporters to join him in backing Donald Trump.
That, however, was not good enough. He dared to cross Trump, so Trump and his surrogates vowed to have Good removed, a congressman who, to this point, had proved he was all about MAGA and very much pushing Trump's agenda forward. For instance, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) stated:
"President Trump is going to win in 24, and he needs loyal America First warriors NOT Congressmen on a power trip who will stab him in the back."
Good did not stab Trump in the back… he merely liked DeSantis, then when DeSantis dropped, he backed Trump. That is typical of what we see in elections, but Trump backed a primary challenger against Good in the Virginia race anyway. According to Trump, Good got behind him "too late," then really went after him, saying that he was "Bad for Virginia, and Bad for the USA." Both Trump and Speaker Emeritus Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) then endorsed state Senator John McGuire for the seat. And it would appear they succeeded, with McGuire currently leading Good by about 0.6%, even though the election will likely wind up in a recount because it is so close.
This, to me, is a really bad look for Trump. Good has supported the MAGA agenda throughout, yet, because he endorsed DeSantis originally, Trump wants him removed. Had he spoken out against Trump, that would have been one thing, but Good then endorsed Trump and fully supported his agenda, and even tried to get DeSantis voters to join him to support Trump. Now, instead of having Good as an ally down the stretch, I would expect Good to flip and go after Trump, costing Trump even more conservative votes.
Trump constantly talks about unifying the party, but then he does the complete opposite. This is a problem because Trump thinks voters will rally behind him rather than sit out the election and only vote down ballot. I can tell you for a fact that DeSantis voters are livid over the attacks against DeSantis and his wife during the primary (Trump and his team accused DeSantis of having an affair with underage girls, students, the boot nonsense, then hinted that Casey DeSantis was a lesbian as well as doubting her cancer diagnosis), and Trump is going to have to work to win them back over. And if he doesn't, he is going to hand this election to Joe Biden.
Look at the polling right now, and how independent voters that were sitting on the sidelines awaiting the verdict in Trump's trial before making a decision. For the first time in as long as I can remember, Biden is now leading Trump nationally and creeping up on Trump in virtually every battleground state. Whether Trump wants to admit it or not, he needs DeSantis and Haley voters to back him, so this revenge nonsense within the party needs to stop.
