Political pundit Piers Morgan took to the press this week, penning an op-ed piece proclaiming that the Republican party needs to rid themselves of Trump and consolidate support around Gov. Ron DeSantis in order to win the White House in 2024.
Morgan, who now hosts a weekly show on Fox, suggested DeSantis is “younger, fresher and more exciting” than Trump, offering full support for the Floridian governor should he announce a bid for the presidency. DeSantis has kept mum on his political ambitions, declining on multiple occasions to say whether he would run in 2024. Of the many times reporters have tried to get an answer out of him, DeSantis consistently responds that his focus is on The Sunshine State.
Despite the uncertainty, Morgan praises DeSantis, stating that Trump’s grip on the Republican party is loosening.
“The once-omnipotent GOP beast bestriding the American political world like a paw-crunching King Kong is now seeing his stranglehold over the party ebb away faster than the infamous gorilla tumbled to his demise from the Empire State Building after being shot by US Navy planes, wrote Morgan. “And the same foe is proving to be the deadly weapon again now, in the form of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a US Navy war hero who advised SEAL Team commanders in Iraq, and who still serves with the US Navy Reserve.”
Morgan consistently held ambivalent views toward the Trump administration, frequently contending with the former leader on Twitter. In his op-ed, the pundit relayed through DeSantis’ lifetime achievements, ultimately concluding that the governor’s resume ‘adds up to a stunningly impressive set of ticks in the box for people who should run for president.’
“If you were scripting a perfect Republican presidential candidate, the list of preferred requirements would read something like DeSantis’ resume,” Morgan said. “And that’s before we get to his highly successful tenure as governor of Florida, where, whatever you think of him, DeSantis has indisputably proven himself to be a bold, fearless, combative, and determined leader, earning him high approval ratings and the kind of national media attention that potential presidents get.”
Morgan isn’t the only celebrity giving public support to DeSantis. Last week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk told his 98 million Twitter followers on Wednesday that he would likely back Gov. Ron DeSantis in a potential 2024 Presidential bid for the White House should the Florida governor announce an intent to run.
Musk made the statement after he posted on Twitter that he voted Republican for the first time in Texas’ 34th Congressional District race, which was won by GOP candidate Mayra Flores.
“I voted for Mayra Flores – first time I ever voted Republican,” Musk tweeted. “Massive red wave in 2022.”
A popular Tesla fan account then asked Musk if he would vote Republican in the upcoming Presidential race as well, to which Musk responded by saying he was unsure. When the account prodded which direction he is leaning, Musk responded with a single word: “DeSantis.”