Reuters
The battle for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination has for months been seen as a two-man race: a fight between Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a rising national star long viewed as the only candidate capable of defeating the former Republican president. Yet missteps by DeSantis on foreign policy and a doubling down by Trump on politically violent rhetoric in recent days – the type of grievance politics that has alienated some previously loyal Trump supporters – has underscored the volatility of a race still in its earliest stages, party strategists and donors say. While both Trump and DeSantis, who has not yet declared, remain top contenders for the nomination, both are displaying vulnerabilities that could mean a long and bitter dog fight between both men, but also provide opportunities to other Republican hopefuls.