How Ron DeSantis trumped Trump with migrant move

Gov. Ron DeSantis is having a “moment.” The Florida Republican’s latest high-profile action – flying migrants from Texas to the wealthy, liberal resort island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts – captured national attention and added yet more buzz to an expected 2024 presidential bid. 

To liberals, last week’s maneuver was a cruel stunt that exploited desperate human beings by turning them into political pawns. 

To conservatives, Governor DeSantis’ move was a stroke of political genius, highlighting the waves of migrants crossing the southern border and supercharging the immigration issue ahead of November’s midterm elections. 

Over the weekend, Mr. DeSantis received a standing ovation at an event for conservatives in Kansas. And former President Donald Trump, a fellow Floridian who promoted Mr. DeSantis’ 2018 run for the governorship, is reportedly fuming that his mentee has grabbed the media spotlight on one of his signature issues.

But even as Mr. DeSantis shows what he’s learned from Mr. Trump, he’s also doing things differently – for better or worse.

“Personally, I see it as showboating,” says a conservative political strategist, speaking on background to preserve his relationship with both men. “But it’s great for national fundraising, and it raises DeSantis’ presidential profile.” 

Mr. DeSantis, who is currently running for reelection, believes he’s hit on something. Last week, he told reporters to expect more such flights to “sanctuary communities” – localities that won’t turn migrants without legal status over to immigration authorities. The governor said he has $12 million designated by the Florida Legislature to transport migrants to “sanctuary destinations.” Records show the Martha’s Vineyard flights cost $615,000. 

To some, the calculated way in which Mr. DeSantis planned and orchestrated those flights shows a key difference between him and Mr. Trump, who is known for operating more on instinct.

“DeSantis is much more strategic,” says Susan MacManus, a professor emerita at the University of South Florida and veteran political observer. “He looks carefully at a big issue and sees what needs more attention, from his party’s and his own ideological perspective. Then he picks a location and timing to maximize media attention.”

In their dealings with reporters, Mr. Trump and Mr. DeSantis have some similarities but also differ in key ways. Both men express antipathy toward the news media – Mr. Trump famously referred to the press as “the enemy of the people” – and use reporters as foils to score political points. Both men also know how to play to the cameras. 

But their overall media relations strategies are quite different. For all his complaints, Mr. Trump actually seems to enjoy sparring with reporters, and as president carried on the tradition of having the press “pool” travel with him both in Washington and on the road. Mr. DeSantis makes covering his administration much more difficult – at least for the mainstream media. The Florida governor doesn’t release his daily schedule until the end of the day, and while press conferences are usually announced a few hours in advance, they can be anywhere in the state. 

“He does not like questions,” says Aubrey Jewett, a political scientist at the University of Central Florida. “I don’t know how much he believes he’s being treated unfairly [by reporters] and how much is a political act. But he seems to believe it’s true.”

The big exception is Fox News, whose favorable coverage helped propel Mr. DeSantis to the governorship four years ago, while bringing him to Mr. Trump’s attention. Today, some media observers have noted that Fox seems to be backing away from Mr. Trump, while Mr. DeSantis is still a regular on the network. 

But while some see Mr. DeSantis as a younger, savvier version of the former president, others say he lacks the showmanship and charisma that made the reality TV star such a hit with crowds. 

Mr. Trump is much more of a “people person,” say conservative operatives who know both men. Mr. DeSantis has made notable improvements delivering speeches to large crowds, but in smaller settings he can be aloof and struggle to connect, they add. 

In the run-up to the midterms, both men have been traveling the country, appearing at events to rally conservatives, raise money, and support Republican candidates in competitive races. Much is at stake – control of the House and Senate, as well as numerous governor’s seats, including Mr. DeSantis’.

But at the moment it’s Mr. DeSantis who appears to have captured conservative imaginations – and ignited liberals’ ire – by shining a light on the nation’s immigration problem, just as Mr. Trump did in 2016. 

Divergent reactions to the Martha’s Vineyard flights “clearly reflect the polarization in this country,” says Professor MacManus. 

Island residents were applauded for their outpouring of compassion and material help when about 50 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, showed up last Wednesday in two small planes with no advance warning. 

At the same time, Vineyard residents also faced criticism when the migrants were quickly relocated to a military base on Cape Cod, leading some to accuse the liberal islanders of being hypocrites. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker – a lame-duck, moderate Republican – spearheaded the transfer, saying the migrants would have more access to the services they need. 

Here in Florida, where Hispanics are a critical component of the electorate, the fact that most of the migrants sent to Martha’s Vineyard were Venezuelan left some people scratching their heads. Florida’s Venezuelan community leans Republican, in part a response to its native country’s socialist regime. 

It’s too soon to say how Mr. DeSantis’ larger project of transporting migrants to “sanctuary communities” will ultimately play out politically, both in his home state and nationwide. For now, conservatives express enthusiastic support, while liberals are horrified.

“In our community, it is toxic,” says state Sen. Annette Taddeo, the Democratic challenger to Republican Rep. Maria Salazar in a South Florida congressional district. Senator Taddeo is Colombian American, and Representative Salazar is Cuban American. 

But two women handing out DeSantis lawn signs at a street corner in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea are fully behind the governor’s tactic. 

“DeSantis couldn’t have made a better move,” says Mary Reid, who runs a business from home in nearby Fort Lauderdale.