DeSantis courts Republicans in Nevada, Trump stronghold

The Florida governor lashed out at Walt Disney World and the Justice Department — not his main Republican rival, Donald Trump — on Saturday while courting fellow believers from Nevada, in the heart of Trumpist territory.

America “is off the rails,” said Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. “Madness reigns supreme.”

Addressing Nevada Republicans for the first time as a presidential candidate, DeSantis did not directly mention the federal investigation against Trump, who faces a dozen felony charges of mishandling classified documents.

“We are going to end use as a government weapon once and for all,” DeSantis, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, said from a podium adorned with hay bales and bull horns.

DeSantis made his remarks as participants in the crowded Republican intramural race for the 2024 presidential nomination grapple with how to deal with Trump’s recent impeachment tie-up.

While some Republicans have raised serious concerns about the charges, DeSantis has largely ignored the situation, usually only lashing out at the Justice Department when he does address it.

Although he trails Trump in many polls, it’s unclear whether DeSantis could catch up with him by avoiding dominant issues during the race.

This debate comes as De Santis was courting more than 2,000 conservatives, many of them Trump loyalists, who gathered for the annual Basque Fry under a scorching sun on a ranch in western Nevada.

DeSantis’ team believes the governor is especially well positioned to challenge Trump in Nevada, one of the first four states to hold presidential primaries next year.

Beyond issues like his “war on the progressive agenda,” DeSantis hopes to benefit from a close personal relationship with a top Republican leader.

Adam Laxalt, a former state attorney general and host of Saturday’s gathering, was DeSantis’s roommate during naval officer training and they are longtime friends.

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