Despite all the hand-wringing, Trump proved he's still the most popular and influential politician in the GOP, as he easily prevailed in the anonymous CPAC straw poll by capturing a resounding 59% of ballots. Ron DeSantis was a distant second at 28%, demonstrating once again that Trump is the unchallenged leader of the GOP.
DeSantis clearly sees himself as a viable candidate for 2024, and his energy, confidence and political track record make him more than qualified. He could still turn out to be a Trump alternative or challenger, especially if the CPAC straw poll isn't reflected in future Republican polling.
The CPAC attendees are two-faced and hypocritical. As Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine and upset the post-WWII world order, Republicans gathered to cheer for Donald Trump, who praises Putin as a "genius" while attacking Biden and defending his own corrupt attempt to coerce Ukrainian President Zelensky into producing "dirt" on his political opponent in 2019.
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