To whatever extent this isn't some kind of kayfabe, it shows that the big GOP establishment donors truly are unironically retarded. Like, the operatives themselves are weasels enriching themselves on donorbux, but the people backing DeSantis appear to sincerely believe that:

> a) There is some kind of national audience for him. Even if the regime is dumb enough to try to remove Trump from the equation, the end result is that ordinary Republicans stop believing in any kind of nonviolent solution to their problems. DeSantis would get around 30 percent of the vote in whatever attempt at an election follows that.

> b) There is any room whatsoever to move leftwards from his current position of heckling Trump, getting rid of Confederate statues, and enshrining troons' right to diddle sixth graders into law. Sure, there's the gaggle of freaks who are ostensibly running to his left, but they're all sitting in the error margin - they're there to embezzle campaign donations as a reward for their past service.

The good news is that, when DeSantis gets crushed by Trump, the donor spigot that fuels these people might be dead for good.