Here’s what Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had to say to Jake Tapper about this morning’s breaking news regarding a possible third indictment of former president and chief 2024 primary opponent Donald Trump :

This country is going down the road of criminalising political differences. And I think that’s wrong. Alvin Bragg stretched the statute in Manhattan to be able to try to target Donald Trump. Most people, even people on the left acknowledge if that wasn’t Trump, that case would not have likely been brought against the normal civilian and so you have a situation where the Department of Justice FBI had been weaponised against people they don’t like and the number one example of that happened to be against Donald Trump with the Russia collusion. That was not a legitimate investigation that was being done to try to drive Trump out of office.

And so when I’ve said as president, my job is to restore a single standard of justice to end weaponisation of these agencies. We’re gonna have a new FBI director on day one, we’re gonna have big changes at the Department of Justice. Americans across the political spectrum, need to have confidence that what is going on is based on the rule of law, not based on what political tribe you’re in.

And then the second thing I would say is, this country needs to have a debate about the country’s future. If I’m the nominee, we’ll be able to focus on President Biden’s failures and I’ll be able to articulate a positive vision for the future. I don’t think it serves us good to have a presidential election focused on what happened four years ago, in January and so I want to focus on looking forward. I don’t want to look back, I do not want to see him. I hope he doesn’t get charged. I don’t think it’ll be good for the country. But at the same time, I’ve got to focus on looking forward and that’s what we’re going to do.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis filed paperwork on Tuesday for South Carolina‘s Republican primary, becoming the first major party presidential candidate officially on the ballot for the first-in-the-South contest.

DeSantis signed his filing documents during a stop at the South Carolina Republican Party headquarters in Columbia, flanked by supporters including state legislators who have endorsed his bid.

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But is her rising profile enough to turn her husband’s campaign around? Some have criticized her up to her eyebrows — literally — while others think she is a vital asset to the DeSantis campaign.

Kelly Rissman reports.

He’s been indicted twice. Found liable for sexual abuse. And he’s viewed unfavorably by about a third of his party. But six months before Republicans begin to choose their next presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump remains the race’s dominant front-runner.

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Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis are dominating the fight for campaign cash in the Republican presidential contest, according to federal filings made public Saturday. While some struggled, like former Vice President Mike Pence, others reported significant hauls that help ensure the GOP’s 2024 primary will be crowded for the foreseeable future.

On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden‘s reelection campaign has quickly amassed a sizeable fortune. But longshot Democratic primary opponent Robert Kennedy Jr. also raised enough to ensure he won’t be ignored.

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With six weeks until the first 2024 Republican presidential debate, some hopefuls are finding creative ways to boost their donor numbers and ensure they make it on stage.

Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy rolled out a plan to let people who raise money for his campaign keep 10 per cent of what they take in from other donors. North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum is offering $20 Mastercard or Visa gift cards in return for campaign donations of as little as $1. Businessman Perry Johnson is offering copies of his book in exchange for donations.

The unusual efforts are in response to a Republican National Committee requirement that participants in the 23 August debate in Milwaukee raise money from at least 40,000 donors across the country. That’s a tall task for some of the hopefuls who aren’t as well known as former President Donald Trump or Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

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A pro-Ron DeSantis super PAC uses an Artificial Intelligence version of Donald Trump’s voice in a new television ad attacking the former president, resulting in widespread mockery.

Watch it below:

The latest University of New Hampshire poll for the first primary state shows Donald Trump with a commanding lead, though not as large as in either national polls or those in other states.

Of note is that among the clump of candidates in the five to eight per cent range — behind Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump — is former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum whose candidacy has been characterised as a longshot by many but who is ahead of both Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy and tied with Chris Christie.

When John McCain was the Republican presidential nominee in 2008, he was forced to reject megachurch pastor John Hagee’s endorsement after a sermon surfaced that was derided as antisemitic.

But as the 2024 campaign for the White House intensifies, Hagee and his organization, Christians United for Israel, are welcome presences within the GOP.

Hagee and CUFI hosted several presidential contenders at their annual summit in suburban Washington this week, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence. They all pledged fierce loyalty to Israel and were unified in criticizing President Joe Biden as weak.

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