Fox News Democrat political analyst Juan Williams named Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) as America’s most influential political player in 2022 despite being terrified of him.
Williams highlighted DeSantis’ “enormous” impact this year, ranging from dominating the culture war in Florida, to getting the Republican Party more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives by redrawing Florida’s congressional districts himself, to turning the state of Florida from a purple state to a deep red state.
“He is not my cup of tea. In fact, he scares me,” Williams wrote in an op-ed for The Hill. “But it is time for me to hand out my year-end award for the top political player in the United States.”
“The one politician who stands out at year’s end is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R),” Williams said. “His commanding 19-point reelection victory, as well as his success in attracting mega-donors like Ken Griffin, Steve Ross, and Steve Schwarzman ahead of a possible 2024 presidential campaign, make him the past year’s big GOP winner.”
As noted by Williams, DeSantis has received backing from major GOP megadonors in recent weeks.
Twitter CEO Elon Musk said Friday that he would support DeSantis for president in 2024 should DeSantis decide to run.
Musk made the remarks on his social media platform in response to a tweet about how the political Left erupted in anger at him letting former President Donald Trump back on the platform after he was banned in January 2021.
“I’m fine with Trump not tweeting,” Musk said. “The important thing is that Twitter correct a grave mistake in banning his account, despite no violation of the law or terms of service. Deplatforming a sitting President undermined public trust in Twitter for half of America.”
“As a reminder, I was a significant supporter of the Obama-Biden presidency and (reluctantly) voted for Biden over Trump,” Musk continued. “But freedom of speech is the bedrock of a strong democracy and must take precedence. My preference for the 2024 presidency is someone sensible and centrist. I had hoped that would the case for the Biden administration, but have been disappointed so far.”
Musk then was asked, “Would you support Ron DeSantis in 2024, Elon?”
Musk responded, “Yes.”