I canʻt disagree with anything you said about DeSantis. His instincts are transparent and invariably authoritarian … and in that regard, the disciple has exceeded the master. Trump liked to humiliate those who opposed him with derogatory nicknames and schoolyard taunts (as aspiring secretary of state Mitt Romney can testify).

But DeSantis strains to go further. He wants to utterly destroy those who do nothing more than question one of his initiatives. Neither man respects democracy as a form of governance, but Trump was satisfied with breaking or bending the rules to suit his purposes—DeSantis would scrap them entirely.

I am hopeful that Trumpʻs legal woes will eventually push him out of the race—and think it possible, if not likely, that DeSantisʻ instincts will be his undoing. You really canʻt get into a mud wrestling contest with Mickey Mouse and expect to win!

Thanks for your comments!