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Ron DeSantis

This Month

Marco Rubio with Donald Trump at a rally in North Carolina just before election day last week.

Trump taps China hawks in Beijing’s ‘nightmare come true’

The president-elect is set to choose Marco Rubio as his top US diplomat while Representative Mike Waltz is expected to be his new national security adviser.

  • Updated
  • Nancy Cook
Susie Wiles watches her boss on stage at a campaign rally in Wildwood, New Jersey.

Woman behind the win: Trump taps ‘Ice Maiden’ as chief of staff

The president-elect has chosen campaign manager Susie Wiles as his chief of staff, the first in a series of top appointments to his new administration.

  • Hannah Knowles, Josh Dawsey and Marianne LeVine

October

Hurricane Milton claims lives, leaves millions without power

The hurricane slammed into the Florida coastline, hurling twisters and fierce winds as officials urged residents to “hunker down”.

  • Updated
  • Matthew Cranston
Hurricane Milton.

Florida residents flee monster hurricane as time runs out

Milton, one of the most intense Atlantic hurricanes on record, is threatening a stretch of Florida’s densely populated west coast still reeling from Helene.

  • Updated
  • Julio-Cesar Chavez and Octavio Jones
The aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Pensacola, North Carolina.

Florida readies mass evacuation as new hurricane takes aim

The most likely path suggests the hurricane could make landfall on Wednesday local time in the Tampa Bay area and remain a hurricane as it moves across central Florida.

  • Jeff Martin and Freida Frisaro
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September

Musk’s political pivot to Trump has come at a cost to his company.

Why Elon Musk’s bromance with Donald Trump is dangerous business

Their fast-evolving political friendship is a potential minefield, as Musk’s sprawling businesses could present conflicts of interest if Trump is elected.

  • Ryan Mac, Theodore Schleifer and Maggie Haberman

August

Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

Musk pitches for White House job in glitchy Trump interview

The billionaire proposed a job involving cutting federal spending in a Trump presidency, during a conversation with the former president on social media site X.

  • Hadriana Lowenkron and Stephanie Lai
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz and Kamala Harris campaign together at a rally in Philadelphia.

Folksy attack dog: Why Harris chose Tim Walz as VP

The plain-speaking Minnesotan brings Midwestern colloquialism and progressive appeal to the Democratic ticket.

  • Steff Chávez

July

Donald Trump and Nikki Haley at the Republican Convention on Tuesday night.

Former rivals back Trump in show of Republican unity

The second day of the Republican convention showed the kind of discipline and co-ordinated messaging not normally associated with the former president’s political operation.

  • Updated
  • Lauren Fedor and James Politi

June

Donald Trump is toddler-like in his neediness, his self-centredness, his whiny insistence that he actually won.

It will be a miracle if American democracy survives this election

Bit by bit, the United States is becoming like some Central American banana republic, where presidents who lose office expect to be jailed by their successors.

  • Daniel Hannan

May

Donald Trump in texas at the weekend. This is his second visit to the state in less than a week.

Trump taps Texas oil tycoons in bid to close the cash gap with Biden

The former president, whose campaigning has been restricted by his criminal trial in New York, has attended fundraisers in Houston and Dallas.

  • Myles McCormick and Alex Rogers
Wind turbines in Kansas. The former president believes they are a cancer risk.

Trump shows the cost of pettiness among the powerful

Donald Trump’s vendetta against wind turbines is not unusual among plutocrats and tech lords who believe they should have more say.

  • Paul Krugman

April

Donald Trump and Joe Biden are set to face off again in this year’s presidential election.

With Trump in court, can Biden take control of the election?

As polls show the race tied, the president is campaigning around the country and his opponent is stuck spending his days in a Manhattan courtroom.

  • James Politi, Lauren Fedor and Joe Miller
 Donald Trump and moderator Laura Ingraham on stage during a Fox News town hall in February.

The uneasy truce between Donald Trump and Fox News

Every media outlet in the world is grappling with how to cover Donald Trump, as his pronouncements become more stuffed with false claims. But the dilemma is most vexing for Fox News.

  • Updated
  • Anna Nicolaou, Lauren Fedor and Daniel Thomas
Demonstrators protest outside the US Supreme Court in Washington over abortion rights

The election issue keeping Trump awake at night

Democrats need to press home their advantage on the abortion issue that seems a sure vote-loser for Republicans in November.

  • Edward Luce
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Pro-life supporters outside the US Supreme Court in Washington last week. The issue will play a role in the US election.

Florida upholds abortion ban, but voters will have a say in November

While upholding a state ban, the Florida Supreme Court allowed a ballot measure to go to voters that would enshrine abortion rights in Florida’s constitution.

  • Brendan Farrington

March

It’s time to stop the smartphone experiment on our children

China has been way ahead of the west in seeing the dangers of raising a generation of zombies.

  • Camilla Cavendish
Donald Trump and Joe Biden are set to face off again.

Trump, Biden clinch nominations in rematch

Both presidential candidates have reached their respective thresholds for becoming their parties’ nominees.

  • Updated
  • Matthew Cranston

January

E. Jean Carroll and former US president Donald Trump.

Trump took a stand, but he was not in charge

Donald Trump failed in his attempt to showboat for the jury like he showboats for his rally-goers.

  • Monica Hesse
Donald Trump

Wall St has changed its tune on Trump now that he might win

Many business leaders argue that the former president’s bark is worse than his bite. People warned about him in 2017, but the republic is still alive and kicking.

  • Edward Luce

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/person/ronald-dion-desantis-6fui