DeSantis presidential announcement rocks the media

NEWS AND OPINION:

The mainstream press is often all dressed up with nowhere to go — but not this week. The press is very busy making predictions and mulling the chances that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis might end up in the White House after the 2024 presidential election.

Here are a few headlines of note from the past 24 hours, all of them centered on Mr. DeSantis and his prospects as a presidential hopeful.

“DeSantis to open presidential bid by out-Trumping Trump” (CNN); “Ron DeSantis has a problem. It’s Florida” (Politico); “The DeSantis Delusion” (New York Times); “How Ron DeSantis maximized the might of the Florida governor’s office” (also The New York Times); “In the U.S. election, will Ron DeSantis ‘Make America Florida’?” (Al Jazeera); “Not just Disney: DeSantis brings history of business battles to the presidential campaign” (CNBC); ”The Florida governor aims to take Trump out of Trumpism” (The Economist); “Elon Musk and Twitter step up for DeSantis. Can they sink Trump?” (USA Today); “Trump shreds DeSantis: He ‘can’t win the general election’ because of record on entitlement programs” (Breitbart News); and “Ron DeSantis is learning that not every state wants to be Florida” (NBC News).

ROMNEY’S COMPETITION

Sen. Mitt Romney has competition.

Trent Staggs, mayor of Riverton, Utah — a town of 45,000 — has revealed he plans to challenge his fellow Utah Republican in 2024. The newly minted candidate does not have kind words for Mr. Romney, who has held his Senate seat since 2018.

“The only thing I’ve seen him fight for are the establishment, wokeness, open borders, impeaching President Trump and putting us even deeper into debt,” Mr. Staggs says in a new campaign video released Wednesday.

“I’ve got a track record of fighting big government and I believe we need that same approach in Washington. I’m not a career politician or a Massachusetts millionaire. I’m a mayor, businessman, husband and father who wants his children to grow up with the same opportunities that I did. And I’m running for United States senator to make sure that they do,” he concludes.

The press is interested. Mr. Staggs has already picked up significant coverage from Associated Press and Fox News among many other news organizations, including news outlets in Utah.

Find the details about his campaign at TrentStaggs.com.

AM RADIO GETS SOME LOVE

Ford was among those major car manufacturers that decided to drop AM radios from new vehicles — a decision that concerned listeners who enjoy and benefit from AM fare while driving. But Ford has now reversed its decision, citing the importance of AM radio during emergencies as a primary reason for its change of heart.

“AM radio is the backbone of the nation’s emergency broadcast system. It’s a necessity at this point,” Michael Harrison, founder and editor of Talkers magazine, said in a conversation with Fox News on Wednesday.

Talkers, an industry publication, covers talk radio from both business and creative perspectives.

“The auto industry owes AM radio a favor and special consideration after almost a century of symbiotic relationships between the two of them. I don’t think those automakers want to make an enemy of AM radio,” Mr. Harrison said.

He also pointed out the breadth of talk radio itself, citing programming that covers news, sports, rural and agricultural information, commentary, and religious fare.

“The decision to drop AM radio is a boneheaded, tone-deaf move and auto manufacturers are seeing very quickly that the decision was a mistake,” Mr. Harrison noted.

Other manufacturers have not reversed their vows to drop AM from new vehicles. Volvo, Mazda, BMW, Volkswagen, Tesla and Mazda are still going forward with their decision, according to the Fox News coverage.

IVY COVERED HALLS

College students need to expand upon their practical abilities, some say.

Universities should equip students with a trade skill as part of their education, according to a University of Notre Dame political scientist.

“Professor Patrick Deneen gave a speech on the ‘future of liberalism’ at the Catholic University of America on May 17,” reports the College Fix, a student-written news organization that follows campus trends, both educational and social.

Mr. Deneen said that a social force he deemed the “party of progress” has created an American society built on rapid change that fosters disorder, instability and a “decline of norms and customs.”

To remedy the situation, Mr. Deneen said that a “party of order” needs to replace the entrenched “party of progress.”

He also gave suggestions on how to implement this positive “party of order” at the university level, the College Fix said in its review of the professor’s speech.

“Deneen said colleges and universities need to increase their opportunities for students to study and develop ‘urban trades’ and suggested they could require students to learn a trade in order to graduate. This was generally greeted with approval from the crowd,” the College Fix said.

“Students across the board should graduate with a set of useful skills that prepare them to be functional members of society,” PJ Butler, a University of Notre Dame senior and a theology and political science major, told the publication.

POLL DU JOUR

• 37% think a lower rate of inflation would do the most to improve their view of the U.S. economy; 26% of Republicans, 42% of independents and 47% of Democrats agree.

• 36% think a change in political leadership in Washington would do the most to improve their view; 53% of Republicans, 31% of independents and 14% of Democrats agree.

• 11% think a positive change in their personal financial situation would do the most; 5% of Republicans, 12% of independents and 20% of Democrats agree.

• 5% think an increase in the stability of the banking system would do the most; 5% of Republicans, 4% of independents and 6% of Democrats agree.

• 4% say a sustained rise in the stock market would do the most; 5% of Republicans, 3% of independents and 4% of Democrats agree.

• 7% say “something else” would do the most; 6% of Republicans, 7% of independents and 9% of Democrats agree.

SOURCE: CNN/SSRS poll of 1,227 U.S. respondents conducted May 17-20.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.