Karl Rove is predicting that the anticipated race between former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) in the GOP presidential primary will get closer in the coming months.
Despite Trump leading DeSantis in the polls, Rove told Fox News that "we've seen the front-runners fade" in the past, and the same could be true about the former president.
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"We're likely to see the polls sort of close a little bit over the next couple of months. There could be big changes, comparatively big changes, by the time following the debates," Rove said. "But remember, at this point in 2008, Rudy Giuliani was way ahead and so was Hillary Clinton at this point in 2008. In 2012, 30 days before the Iowa caucuses, Newt Gingrich was ahead.
"You know, we've seen the front-runner and admittedly, President Trump is not the normal front-runner, but we've seen the front-runners fade when people get to know more about the other candidates in the race and find somebody else more attractive," he continued.
The former George W. Bush adviser also discussed how voters will likely be uneasy about a matchup between two older candidates in President Joe Biden and Trump.
"There is a great deal of dissatisfaction with the notion that the best America can do is to nominate a 78-year-old and an 82-year-old for the toughest job in the world," Rove said.
Trump has consistently topped DeSantis in polls in the Republican primary for months, with both Florida men leading the rest of the GOP field, per the Real Clear Politics polling average.
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DeSantis has yet to announce a bid for the presidency but is expected to do so Wednesday evening. His team teased the announcement with a video on Tuesday, which included narration describing the United States as being "worth the fight" and shows DeSantis walking onto a stage.
He is expected to launch his campaign with an event in his hometown of Dunedin, Florida, next week.