‘You Think I’m Crazy?’ Politico Twists Florida Republicans Into Knots Making Them Choose Between Trump and DeSantis

Politico put Florida Republicans on the spot by asking them to choose between former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — and got some telling responses.

While DeSantis has yet to announce his presidential run formally, Trump has been training his fire on DeSantis for months as the Florida governor cemented his status as the only candidate in the GOP field with any shot at contending with Trump.

As the battle of the Florida men heats up, Politico’s Olivia Beavers tried to get the state’s congressional delegation to take sides. Playbook rounded up some of the responses, which included these gems:

Rep. NEAL DUNN: “Oh, wow. You really are trying to get me into a situation here.” (Dunn added that while he had “pretty much” made up his mind on who he’d endorse, he plans to keep it secret for now, because “I don’t need to make myself a target for a year.”)

Rep. AARON BEAN likened it to “Sophie’s choice.”

Rep. PAULINA LUNA: “Who am I supporting, Gov. DeSantis or Trump? Trump. I love DeSantis. I don’t think anyone will ever be able to compete with him as governor, and I’ll be sad to see if he leaves early. … I love them both.”

And one anonymous Florida Republican said this in response to Olivia’s query: “Do you think I want to talk about that? You think I’m crazy?”

Anyone who hopes that they can still be friends with the other side once they plant their flag should keep in mind just how real things are getting. Trumpworld is prepping an oppo file on DeSantis that will aim to attack his record prosecuting child pornography cases, which is an ugly place to go — let alone to start.

And Trump’s Make America Great Again PAC has filed a complaint with the Florida ethics board claiming the governor is reaping “personal financial gain” at the expense of the state’s taxpayers. That’s just two days from this week.