Ron DeSantis, from rising star to failed White House contender

With the expansion of the carrying of weapons and the ban on books, Ron DeSantis He became a champion of American conservatives for his illiberal agenda, although it was not enough for him to compete for the White House against donald trumpto whom the governor of Florida gave his support on Sunday by suspending his campaign.

For years, DeSantis He has turned his state into the front line of the battle for the soul of the United States, showing himself as a version of Trumpism without the chaos that accompanies the former president, with a double criminal accusation.

But even though DeSantis He maintained second place in the polls for several months, Trump remained a favorite among the Republican bases who saw no reason to support a version “light” from the former president of the MAGA movement (“Make America Great Again”) when they could have the real one.

DeSantis sought to confront “woke” (progressive) politicians, companies and professors with staunchly liberal visions whom he accused of imposing their ideology on Americans.

His most impactful initiatives included the expansion of gun rights, the imposition of restrictive abortion laws, and banning discussions about gender identity and sexuality from classrooms. His educational policies led to dozens of books being removed from school libraries.

But for a time the outrage was accompanied by applause in the most conservative circles in the United States and press coverage gave it national projection.

However, it was not the same as competing politically on a national stage. DeSantis He often appeared uncomfortable at campaign events and in debates, weighed down by his apparent aversion to the social aspects of a presidential race.

His large campaign expenses and his habit of relying on a narrow circle of advisors led by his wife, Casey DeSantis, also wrecked his candidacy.

‘Retired‘

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, on September 14, 1978, DeSantis He went to Yale University and then to Harvard Law School.

He practiced law in the US Marine Corps and entered politics in 2012, where he won a seat in the House of Representatives.

In his race for governor of Florida in 2018, DeSantis won a key endorsement from then-President Trump in the Republican primaries after effusive praise.

He then narrowly defeated his Democratic opponent despite a wave of Republican defeats elsewhere in the country.

Four years later, he won reelection in a landslide and began positioning himself for the White House. But as his profile grew, his relationship with Trump soured and the billionaire attacked him as “Ron DeSanctimonious.”

Doubts about the eligibility of trump They continued to rise and followed his indictment for a serious financial crime, a declaration of civil liability in a sexual assault case and criminal investigations into alleged election interference and mismanagement of government documents.

But DeSantis he failed to capitalize on them, making missteps that raised red flags about his own preparation for the land’s highest office.

A bitter and avoidable dispute with Disney, Florida’s largest private company, over its policies baffled free-market advocates, while the six-week abortion ban worried others about its lack of connection to public opinion.

Observers in Washington already considered him lost even before the Iowa caucuses last week, in which he fell far behind trump.

His decision to leave the race for the Republican nomination comes less than two days before the primaries in New Hampshire, where polls showed him quite far from Trump and Nikki Haley, former ambassador to the UN.

Reporters in New Hampshire asked Trump on Sunday if he would continue using the nickname “Ron DeSanctimonious.”

“That name is officially retired“, answered.