Florida governor Ron DeSantis thought he could win over the MAGA base, and secure the 2024 presidential nomination by being the drama-free, indictment-free, and more sophisticated version of Donald Trump. Instead of sending incendiary tweets he releases policy position papers, and instead of mocking and slamming his political opponents he keeps the focus on his agenda.

DeSantis may be drama-free compared to Trump, but he is also personality-free and charisma-free and he just isn’t connecting with voters. Who the hell is going to be attracted by a freak who eats pudding with his fingers, snarls at reporters and is seemingly incapable of cracking a smile?

DeSantis’ goal of winning the Republican nomination also entails running to the right of Trump. DeSantis signed into law a bill approved by the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. In contrast Trump has yet to endorse the Republican proposal for a nationwide abortion ban after fifteen weeks. DeSantis is even more racist than Trump, witness Florida’s new slavery curriculum that calls for teaching that slavery gave enslaved people valuable skills.

What DeSantis doesn’t seem to realize is that a small minority of conservatives wants to ban abortion after only a few weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest, most Republicans don’t really want to do away with abortion altogether.

The MAGA base is racist to the core, and they adore their racist messiah. Trump is more subtle in his racism that the blatantly racist DeSantis, and Republicans don’t want to identify with an outright unapologetic racist.

DeSantis is floundering in the polls, and he doesn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of overtaking Trump. MAGA will never reject their vindictive, profane, blabbermouth Dear Leader in favor of a humorless politician who doesn’t know how to deliver a speech with passion, make small talk with voters, or even eat like a civilized human being.