The right-leaning Twitterverse is fawning over Florida governor Ron DeSantis’s response to Hurricane Ian, the tempestuous cyclone thrashing the Sunshine State. His response is being hailed as the quintessence of professionalism and presidential, unlike President Trump’s mediocre and often defensive response to the initial outbreak of coronavirus in the United States and the subsequent pandemic in early 2020.
Trump’s early handling of Covid certainly left much to be desired, especially when he used press briefings intended to update the ailing nation on the status of the crisis to settle scores with his arch-rivals in the press corps. By comparison, at this moment, DeSantis looks like a steady hand ready to take up the challenge in a no-nonsense, politics-free manner. However, the grading curve for assessing the ability of a leader to demonstrate steady leadership in turbulent times is totally out of whack after four years of the Trump presidency.
In the post-Trump world, what used to be considered a cakewalk for a politician, maintaining composure and avoiding controversy amidst a natural disaster, is being treated as if it were the height of statesmanship. What was once regarded as routine is now seen as the ultimate test of one’s capacity to govern. But it doesn’t take much to stand at the podium and maintain a modicum of decorum when an emergency unfolds.
DeSantis is merely doing what politicians have usually done, but what Trump usually did not do: staying on script when the stakes are highest. There’s a reason why the way Trump composed himself on the campaign trail and in office was so unusual. It’s not in any politician’s interest to behave like a meshuggener.
Trump’s issue isn’t that he miscalculates or that his poorly timed high jinks keep tripping him up. The fundamental problem is that he’s still a lunatic.
Trump’s inability to comport himself to the basic standards of what being in elected office demands doesn’t make him courageous or the greatest threat to “the regime.” It makes him exceedingly vulnerable in a general election. Republicans would be wise to nominate anyone other than the Donald in 2024. Otherwise, the benchmark of competence for conservative politicians will irrevocably be ten feet lower.