I've been more skeptical of DeSantis since I've heard him essentially aim to limit the scope of criticism of Israel in Florida, and you can just see more now how he is probably a politician riding on the coattail's of Trump's populism to some degree.

This isn't completely bad... In fact, the more opportunists trying to capitalize off of Trump through imitation, the better. But why choose someone who is willing to abandon these principles when it is inconvenient when you can go with the originator?

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis once strongly supported arming Ukraine to fight Russia, urging then-President Barack Obama to do so as a deterrent to Russian aggression in Eastern Europe – a position at odds with his statements this week questioning the United States’ involvement in the conflict.

As a conservative congressman, DeSantis, now a potential presidential hopeful, urged sending “defensive and offensive” weapons to Ukraine in 2014 and 2015 and even voted to refuse to fund a new missile defense treaty with Russia until they withdrew from Ukraine, according to a review of DeSantis’ past comments by CNN’s KFile.

Once an advocate of a hardline, hawkish approach to Russia by supporting Ukraine, the Florida governor shifted course this week in anticipation of a potential presidential run in a changed, more isolationist Republican party, questioning whether it was in the United States’ interest to be involved in what he called, “things like the borderlands or over Crimea.” He added that Russia was not “the same threat to our country, even though they’re hostile” and downplayed the threats that Russia could invade NATO countries.

This was all very much in line with what you would have expected from regular Republican geopolitics back in the day.

I prefer the alternative.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/26/politics/ron-desantis-supported-ukraine-russia-kfile/index.html