DeSantis in London to promote Florida – and himself

Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, touched down in London today for meetings with foreign secretary James Cleverly and senior businessmen and women as part of an attempt to not only promote Florida, but also polish his foreign policy credentials ahead of an expected pitch to become the next US president, writes Mattie Brignal. 

Fortunately, perhaps, Rishi Sunak was otherwise engaged in Scotland at the Conservative Party conference which will have been organised months before DeSantis made his international trip.

The timetable clash has taken what could have been a difficult diplomatic decision out of the PM’s hands. Number 10 said it isn’t standard protocol for a prime minister to meet a foreign governor.

And yet, the Japanese and South Korean prime ministers both found time for a tête-à-tête with DeSantis on earlier legs of his trip.

DeSantis’ visit comes at an interesting time, with conservatism in a state of flux on both sides of the Atlantic. In the States, while Donald Trump’s grip on the Republican machine has loosened since 2020, he continues to warp the political landscape. In the UK, a creaking Conservative party looks to be on its last legs, and in desperate need of fresh ideas to rejuvenate not just the party, but its philosophical roots.  

One right-wing faction wanting to get on the right side of DeSantis is the Reform Party (formerly the Brexit party). Its leader, Richard Tice, had been hoping for a chance to meet the governor in London, which at the time of writing looks unlikely.

DeSantis gained global notoriety during the Covid pandemic by keeping Florida’s economy open when other US states shut down. The popularity of the move was underlined last year when he won re-election by nearly 20 points while other Republican candidates floundered nationwide.

Although he’s considered Trump’s biggest threat in the Republican primary ahead of the 2024 presidential election, the latest polling by Fox has 53% of Republican primary voters favouring Trump to DeSantis’s 21%. The gap has widened from 43% vs 28% in February, with Trump’s indictment earlier this month giving him a boost among the Republican base.

DeSantis is expected to formally announce his bid for the Republican nomination in the coming weeks and his supporters hope the polls will shift again once their man declares.

Could DeSantis pull it off? While February 2024 – when the Republican nominee will be chosen – is still a long way off, the Trump boulder is gaining momentum.  

Losing out on the nomination wouldn’t be the end of DeSantis. At 44, he has plenty of elections ahead of him.

Joe Biden, on the other hand, does not. The President would be 86 when he leaves office if he wins in 2024. The campaign video he used to launch his bid this week featured vice-president Kamala Harris 13 times, a hint that Biden will be leaning on his VP in the next administration, possibly literally. It’s not trivial to ask what Biden’s chances are of surviving a second term. As the Editorial Board writes, whoever ends up winning in 2024, it won’t be America.  

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