Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is reportedly firing a third of his campaign team after a false start to the US primary. After several layoffs in the past week, the 44-year-old has now laid off 38 of his employees, several media reported on Tuesday. The action is seen as an attempt by the archconservative to restructure his team after DeSantis is far behind his party competitor, former US President Donald Trump, in polls.

DeSantis was considered Trump’s competitor, but now there are doubts

DeSantis entered the election campaign with the image of the right-wing doer and, after a brilliant re-election in Florida in the fall, was considered Trump’s greatest Republican adversary. However, a string of poor performances and the botched announcement of his candidacy via a Twitter audio stream cast doubt on DeSantis’ eligibility for the state’s highest office.

In addition, despite his ideological affinity with DeSantis, Trump has repeatedly attacked DeSantis and tried to turn his base against him. However, DeSantis would need this in order to have a chance in the race against US President Joe Biden next year. Trump currently seems the most promising Republican candidate – but the many legal problems and charges could be the ex-president’s undoing.