Kellyanne Conway just threw Donald Trump under the bus in favor of Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis

Et tu, Kellyanne?

The person largely responsible for Donald Trump‘s 2016 election victory and one of his most diehard loyalists appears to be switching sides… within her own party, of course.

In a recent appearance on Fox News (ugh), Kellyanne Conway suggested that, like so many in the Republican party, she’s caught feelings for Florida governor Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis, who is expected to announce a 2024 run for the White House sometime in the very near future.

Speaking to Martha MacCallum, Conway said she saw a clear DeSantis “lane” in the 2024 Republican presidential field. Not only that, but she offered him all sorts of free advice on how he might keep that lane open and defeat her ex-boss.

“He’s the only candidate out there who can have his own lane,” Conway said of DeSantis. “I think everybody else is competing for that non-Trump lane and it’s going to bottleneck and be crowded very quickly. His best path is to have the Ron DeSantis Lane.”

“I think this is all about competence but he needs to show he’s not Joe Biden more than he’s not Trump. I think he’s got Trump in his head. Nobody wants to go to the Reagan library and hear you talk about leaking and drama and palace intrigue. That’s the most insider baseball stuff you can talk about.”

Conway then went on to offer DeSantis some talking points he might use to help secure the Republican nomination.

“Talk about the economy in Florida and how it’s one of the few states left that doesn’t have a state income tax,” she suggested. “People love it there for lots of reasons. Talk a little bit more about the economic miracle in Florida. I don’t think woke and COVID are two things that are going to win the nomination and ultimately the presidency.”

“But I think the more he says that, the more he’s detracting from what’s been a pretty good Republican message: ‘Make America Florida.’ Don’t we all wish? I think the people in the Dakotas wish they could have Florida weather and we all wish the President could have a supermajority to help pass legislation.”

We can only image how Trump reacted when he saw his former campaign manager/chief propagandist speaking so fondly of his biggest threat in the 2024 Republican primary. (Sorry, Nikki Haley!)

Giving credit where credit is due, Conway’s suggestions for DeSantis aren’t bad. In fact, they’re actually quite good. We could see the strategy working well for him.

Of course, a DeSantis presidency would be terrifying for LGBTQ+ people. In addition to being the founding father of the “Don’t Say Gay” agenda sweeping the nation right now, DeSantis holds a “0” rating from HRC for his voting record on queer-related issues and legislation and his steady drumbeat of policies targeting the Black, transgender, and LGBTQ+ communities, as well as students.

In an appearance on CNN on Sunday, Gen Z congressman Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost went so far as to accuse DeSantis of engaging in “fascism.”

“This is what we’re up against in Florida right now and it’s hard to keep track of because it seems like there’s a new victim, there’s a new bill every day,” he told Jim Acosta. “But we have to call it for what it is: He is abusing his power and using the state to target political opponents and political enemies. And there’s a word for that, and it’s fascism, and we have to be honest about it.”

Frost went on to say that, while DeSantis’ political tactics are a problem right now in Florida, they could very well become a problem for the nation, should he win the Republican nomination in 2024 or, worse, the general election.

“It’s just a problem for Florida now, sure. But in a few years, it can be a problem for the nation,” he warned. “We need everybody to pay attention and talk about how he’s targeting trans folks, targeting not just Black history, but Black people in general, which is American history, and targeting marginalized communities across this entire state.”

“And here’s the sad, sad part, Jim,” Frost added. “He’s doing it because it’s polling high for him in the Republican Party. And I think that says a lot about the state of that party right now.”