Trump vs. DeSantis: Let the war games begin

These “war games” have an evolving high-stakes dramatic plot with larger-than-life characters that could have sprung from the minds of Hollywood scriptwriters. We kick off “season one” with the protagonist’s backstory.

Donald J. Trump is a 75-year-old one-term, twice-impeached former U.S. president who lost the popular vote in 2016 and 2020. But his fragile (some say narcissistic) psyche prevents him from admitting his reelection loss to President BidenJoe BidenFlorida Republicans vote to limit vaccine mandates Bill honoring 13 service members killed in Afghanistan heads to Biden’s desk Overnight Defense & National Security — Presented by Boeing — Pentagon vows more airstrike transparency MORE, whom Trump considers weak, inferior and mentally challenged.

“Loss” is a trigger word since losing is a non-existent concept in the mindset of the former president. Thus, to compensate and rationalize Trump’s official reelection loss, he and his most loyal supporters repeatedly say the election was stolen, which became known as the “Big Lie.”

Then on Jan. 6, 2021, the Big Lie came to life when Trump inspired a group of his followers to “stop the steal.” Currently, congressional leaders are trying to determine the exact role Trump played when some of his followers attacked the U.S. Capitol. As a result, Trump was quickly impeached for a second time by the House of Representatives on Jan. 13. But the Senate acquitted him on Feb. 13, and Trump was not barred from holding public office.

Shortly after Biden’s inauguration, Trump started flirting with avenging his stolen “victory” — continuing to raise mega-millions from GOP voters while maintaining his status as the unofficial leader of the Republican Party. Last month a Quinnipiac University survey found that 78 percent of Republicans polled thought Trump should run again, but 94 percent of Democrats and 58 percent of independents disagreed.

Trump also faces a myriad of legal challenges stemming from charges against his business empire, his conduct after the 2020 election and executive privilege fights with Congress regarding the events of Jan. 6.

“Season one” concludes with Trump’s recent interview on Fox News in which he said he’d made his decision about running again and, “I think a lot of people will be very happy … probably will announce that after the midterms.”

“Season two” picks up with Trump’s antagonist – Florida’s popular Gov. Ron DeSantisRon DeSantisFlorida Republicans vote to limit vaccine mandates DeSantis to offer new correctional officers bonus up to ,000 The Memo: Abbott vs. O’Rourke contest will echo nationwide MORE – who channels Trump’s “win at all costs” fighting spirit. He is an ambitious 43-year-old, Yale- and Harvard-educated, Bronze Star-winning Naval Reserve officer who hears echoes of “Hail to the Chief.”

Although the governor is running for what could be a hard-fought 2022 reelection, DeSantis travels the nation