Hi everyone it's 4 o'clock in Washington I'm Michael Steele in

Nicole Wallace so how exactly do you run against a wannabe autocrat facing dozens of felony charges with an

axe to grind against the government he seeks to lead?

Well, that is a question that Republican candidates are either unable to answer or unwilling to answer at this moment.

There is now just one major challenger to ex-president in President Trump

after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropped out and endorsed Donald Trump.

It's hard to remember, but for a time DeSantis was seen as the much vaunted Trump Slayer.

The one candidate who could break the hold on Trump that he had on the voters in the Republican Party.

Appeal to those alienated by Trump and ultimately beat Joe Biden. Back in 2022, the New Yorker asked,

can Ron Desantis displace Donald Trump as the GOP's combatant and chief?

The New York Times asked, quote,

is Ron Descentis the future of the Republican Party?

But alas, as it turned out, voters didn't want a Trump alternative.

They wanted Trump.

That became clear as his legal troubles mounted. With every indictment, Trump got stronger in the polls.

And then there was the matter of Ron DeSantis' own campaign, tens of millions of dollars spent that barely moved the needle. on the in history. From that piece, quote, the candidate did not match the hype. He was less than advertised. In person, he was a diminutive politician. The campaign introduced him to the nation as a bright but socially awkward introvert, a nerd who did not enjoy people,

which was a problem since voters tend to be people.

Now the Republican presidential primary is the two-person contest that Haley has always wanted.

That's the good news for the Haley campaign.

The bad news, she remains far behind in the polls in the New Hampshire and especially in her home state of South

Carolina. And that is where we start today with the opinion editor at the Washington Post and

author of the prompt 2024 newsletter which discusses all the big

...