Back toward the end of 2022, Ron DeSantis hadn't quite caught up to Donald Trump in popularity, but it definitely looked like the recently reelected governor of Florida was about to do so.
Those days are officially over.
DeSantis, at the time, was riding high.
He had just established Florida as a solidly red state after the area had been considered purple for quite a while. Meanwhile, DeSantis' primary opponent, Trump, was actually faltering quite a bit.
Trump's endorsements did okay in the 2022 election, but they definitely didn't put up the spectacular showing that Trump himself had promised.
That, combined with his public feud with DeSantis and private feud with his wife Melania Trump over the lack of success by Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania, led to the former president's popularity slipping a bit.
Right as it seemed as though Trump was ready to collapse, he teased an announcement.
When the announcement arrived, and Trump didn't declare for the 2024 presidential race, Americans were furious. Instead, Trump was only trying to sell us a $100 collection of digital trading cards featuring his likeness.
America laughed at him.
$100 for trading cards you couldn't even touch or feel?
It seemed ridiculous.
And then they sold out instantly.
Since then, Trump has been on a meteoric rise.
Nobody else in the Republican Party can even come close, including our prior darling, DeSantis.
In the last two weeks alone, Trump's lead has grown ten points over the man who many in America considered Trump's equal less than one year ago.
2024 National Republican Primary:
Trump 54% (+36)
DeSantis 18%
Ramaswamy 6%
Pence 3%
Haley 3%
Scott 3%
Christie 1%
Suarez 0%
Burgum 0%
Elder 0%
Hutchinson 0%
Hurd 0%.@YouGovAmerica/@TheEconomist, 498 RV, 7/22-25https://t.co/xd3AA4t7wH
— Political Polls (@Politics_Polls) July 26, 2023
Trump is literally three times as popular as any other Republican candidate right now.
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