GOP presidential candidate and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s campaign has labeled Ron DeSantis as like former President Trump “without the charm” ahead of the Florida governor’s expected jump into the 2024 champaign this week.
“The glaring difference between the two is DeSantis’ inability to interact directly with voters. The last several months have been filled with brutal headlines about his lack of basic people skills,” reads a memo from Haley’s campaign manager Betsy Ankney, as shared by Politico.
“Ron DeSantis is like Trump, drama and all — but without any of the charm.”
Trump launched his White House bid just after the midterms last year, and Haley got in the race in February. The former president has polled as the front-runner in GOP primary hypotheticals, with DeSantis as a top possible contender — which, along with some of the Florida governor’s other moves, spurred many to speculate that he could mount a campaign.
DeSantis is now expected to formally kick off a campaign as soon as this week.
Haley shared a message for DeSantis last week: “Welcome to the race. We’ve been waiting.”
Her campaign manager’s memo predicts that “in the next month, the GOP presidential field will largely be set” and argues that there’s “appetite for a credible alternative who will move
beyond the drama and give our party a real chance of beating Joe Biden” — but contends that such a candidate is Haley, rather than DeSantis.
“Leaks, abuse of power, drama, and petty political fights. You’d think these are headlines you might have seen during the Trump administration. Even fierce critics of Donald Trump have noticed that, compared to the Trump campaign, DeSantis is far more disorganized,” Ankney writes, calling the Florida governor a “Mini-Trump.”