@mcfate Having Trump attack them can be the kiss of death in a primary... but if they get through to the nomination it probably helps them. Look at how far Kemp (slandered by Trump at every turn) outperformed Walker in GA.

@RationalLeft

Having Trump ENDORSE them can be the "kiss of death in" an ACTUAL ELECTION, though.

@mcfate In swing states, definitely.

@cjcrew They may or may not be moving on (I think they more likely are, but it's not certain yet). Those they favor instead (chiefly DeSantis) are indeed horrible in their own right. But the threat from them is different. DeSantis is more genuinely ideological... but I also can't see him commanding the kind of cult structure Trump has.

@RationalLeft
Between his ideology and increased intellect (compared to Trump anyway) is what scares me the most about him. Watching what he’s done to Florida, seeing him win another term after everything he did, that really worries me because it has to mean he knows how to rig the system in his favor. I find it hard to believe after losing that many people he’d actually have won a fair election.

@cjcrew Florida has become a very red state. I'm far from certain his very blatant antics would succeed nationally.

@RationalLeft
Fingers and toes crossed that you’re right. He scares me, especially because I thought there would be no way in hell we’d ever see Donnie in the Oval Office and not begging for a loan, loan forgiveness or political favor of some kind.

@cjcrew I thinks it's possible DeSantis could win the WH. But as bad as it would be, I think his crazy ambitions would hit a wall of public rejection (as people realized how extreme he was, after the media assured them he was a return to "normal"). And I don't think he'd have that terror-hold over the party that Trump somehow has, or had.