Politico: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is on a collision course with the most powerful man in the GOP: Donald Trump. DeSantis is crisscrossing the country to deliver red-meat speeches. Iowa leaders begged him to visit. He just beat Trump in a key straw poll. And now the popular governor is getting close to overshadowing the former president in the 2024 presidential sweepstakes. All of that could be dangerous for DeSantis’ political health, as Trump continues to ponder a new bid for the White House and remains capable of kneecapping any Republican he sees as a threat.”

“‘It makes it difficult to openly start campaigning as [Trump] at least contemplates running again,’ said Saul Anuzis, former chair of the Republican Party of Michigan, cautioning it’s still ‘early’ in the election cycle. ‘It keeps activists on the sidelines.’ DeSantis, who has the benefit of claiming he’s just running for reelection, continues to gain accolades for opening up Florida during the coronavirus pandemic sooner than most large states. His frequent appearances on Fox News put him in the national spotlight almost nightly. Last weekend, DeSantis beat Trump 74-71 in the annual Western Conservative Summit’s straw poll in Denver – results that surprised even organizers of the summit. Last year, Trump won the same straw poll with nearly 95 percent support. The governor’s backers say he is aware of the dangers of appearing to rise too quickly. One Republican consultant close to the governor, who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak freely about DeSantis and Trump, said the governor is ‘very wary’ of eliciting the former president’s rage. ‘He will take measures so that Trump won’t get mad at him, but believe me, the more successful you are, with Trump, sometimes makes it worse,’ the consultant said.”