Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has suspended his 2024 presidential campaign. Once seen as the alternative to President Donald Trump (R), campaign mistakes and Ambassador Nikki Haley’s (R) surge in the campaign mired his chances. In response to his campaign exit, praise and criticism have begun to pour in for “Dropout DeSantis.”
As expected, Florida Democrats quickly took to social media to celebrate the governor’s decision to suspend his presidential campaign.
Florida Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (D), once rumored to be launching her own gubernatorial campaign, called Governor DeSantis “a man who built his entire campaign on attacking and demonizing already marginalized communities.” “Unfortunately, as Floridians, we will be stuck with him until 2026 so must [sic] continue to hold him accountable and demand better for our state,” Rep. Eskamani added.
The Florida Democratic Party shared a meme on social media, dubbing Governor DeSantis ‘Dropout DeSantis.” In the meme, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried (D) hands Governor DeSantis an “L” with the caption “hey Ron, you dropped this.”
In contrast, Republicans have welcomed his decision, calling it an effort to mobilize all support behind President Trump.
In a statement, President Trump congratulated Governor DeSantis for his campaign, adding that he looks “forward to working with him to beat Joe Biden, who is the worst and most corrupt president in the history of our country.”
In a video shared on social media, Governor DeSantis announced his exit, noting that he would be throwing his support behind President Trump because Republicans should reject the “warmed over corporatism” that Ambassador Haley represents.
When asked to comment on Governor DeSantis’ announcement, Ambassador Haley rejected the accusation, saying “I don’t take politics personally.”
Governor DeSantis was once seen as the candidate who could beat President Trump, but after coming in second in the Iowa Caucus, Governor DeSantis said there was no viable road to victory.
