Ponca: Despite the drama surrounding the 37-count felony federal indictment against former President Donald Trump for mishandling classified documents, Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis pressed forward on Saturday in his efforts to position himself as the party's most ardent national conservative leader.

The Florida governor campaigned in Oklahoma, one of more than a dozen states that will hold their Republican primaries on Super Tuesday, weeks after the earliest states vote, in an effort to project strength amid the chaos. At a rally in the second-largest city of the state, Tulsa, he also received the support of Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, who was the first governor to formally declare his support for DeSantis.

DeSantis has argued that his performance in Florida has elevated him to the forefront of the coming Republican generation. But on Saturday, DeSantis presented a loftier message, urging Americans to support his call for new national leadership, in front of a sweaty audience who were fanning themselves with yard signs.

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The governor spoke while donning jeans, cowboy boots, and a red-and-blue checked shirt. "So our duty is to preserve what the founders of the country called the sacred fire of liberty," he added. He listed the moments when Americans came together in times of need, such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the invasion of Normandy during World War II.

"This torch must now be carried by our generation. We shouldn't avoid this responsibility, DeSantis said. "We should embrace this responsibility. The truth must be upheld, and we must defend enduring and fundamentally American values with steadfastness.

He intended to stop at a rodeo later on in Ponca, which is located about 75 miles northwest of Tulsa.

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DeSantis and other Trump campaign rivals have an opportunity and a challenge as a result of the legal drama. Multiple criminal investigations may initially help Trump's fundraising and polling efforts, but they may ultimately hurt the former president's chances of defeating Vice President Joe Biden in the general election.

However, if Trump is directly criticised over the criminal indictment, it may turn off his core constituency, which his rivals are trying to win over. That is especially true for DeSantis, who has chosen to downplay the case against Trump rather than overtly attempting to benefit from it while still trying to establish himself as the most conservative candidate in the race.

"One of the things that flows from that is this increasing weaponization of these federal agencies against people they don't like," DeSantis stated. Trump or the indictment were not specifically mentioned, but he did add, "On day one you'll have a new director of the FBI. We'll use our position of power to make people answerable.

On matters of policy, DeSantis has subtly increased his criticism of Trump, without mentioning him by name, for his opposition to the idea of reducing the amount spent on Social Security and Medicare. The idea of programme cuts has been rejected by the former president.

The governor of Florida also asserted that Trump's opposition to abortion rights is less than ardent in light of his "harsh" criticism of DeSantis for approving a ban on the majority of abortions performed prior to six weeks of pregnancy.

At the Georgia Republican Party convention on Saturday, Trump made a campaign appearance and referred to the evidence against him as "ridiculous" and "baseless." He was scheduled to speak to the North Carolina Republican convention later on Saturday, but he also urged his supporters to gather before a court appearance in South Florida on Tuesday, making it likely that his case will receive more attention than the GOP primary in 2024 for some time to come.

The Justice Department case heightens the legal risk for Trump, who is already under indictment in New York and is the subject of ongoing inquiries in Atlanta and Washington that could result in additional charges. But among the numerous inquiries he has faced, legal professionals and Trump's own advisers have long viewed the Mar-a-Lago investigation as the most serious legal risk.

Meanwhile, it's doubtful that Stitt's support will influence many voters nationwide. However, it is crucial to project strength outside of DeSantis' home state, just as it is to make an early campaign stop in Oklahoma.

The governor began his campaign last month by visiting Iowa. He then went to New Hampshire and South Carolina, all of which have attracted the majority of the candidates' attention as they are early primary states. However, the early Oklahoma stop allows DeSantis to demonstrate that he intends to remain in the race throughout the entire primary season, not just the beginning.

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DeSantis' later stop in Ponca wasn't, as they say, his first rodeo, despite the fact that he is the governor of Florida, a state better known for its beaches and theme parks than for calf-roping or bull riding. He was appearing with his wife, Casey, who finished second at the College of Charleston's NCAA equestrian national championships.

Before formally declaring his candidature for president, DeSantis skipped the Conservative Political Action Conference in March to speak at a Republican Party dinner in Houston, but not before taking his family to the rodeo. Even though the governor himself did not ride horses at the time, Casey DeSantis and the couple's two young children did