A fortnight ago, Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under Donald Trump, was the first to jump into Trump’s pool for the presidency

This week, Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, is making waves in the pool.  Several others, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire and former Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland, and another South Carolinian of color, Sen. Tim Scott, are dipping their toes in the water.

Someone had to go first, and Haley is it.

The others know that Trump wants to tear them to pieces — he has already given DeSantis an ugly nickname, “Ron DeSanctimonius” — and they did not want to be first in the firing line.

Haley may be crazy brave. She is already taking incoming from the Make America Great Again (MAGA) crowd for shying away from highlighting her courageous stand as governor on taking the Confederate flag down from the state capitol.   

But Haley has done something very important as the 2024 race for the Republican presidential nomination gets underway: She has opened the door to take Trump down.

Haley’s announcements — first on Twitter with her launch video, and then at the rally itself — were loaded with unmistakable criticisms of Trump and his viability to lead the Republican Party back into the White House.

There was this:

“We’re ready, ready to move past the stale ideas and faded names of the past. And we are more than ready for a new generation to lead us into the future.”

“We won’t win the fight for the 21st century if we keep trusting politicians from the 20th century.”

And this:

“Mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.”

And then the Trump-killing argument that Trump is a loser:

“Republicans have lost the popular vote in seven out of the last eight presidential elections. That has to change.”

Yes, Haley is also targeting Joe Biden on the age issue and the baggage of politicians from the 20th century.

But these are direct hits on Trump.

DeSantis is staking out his vision – of himself as the true grandmaster of culture war politics.  What he has done in Florida he wants to nationalize in the 2024 presidential campaign:  DeSantis pushes the anti-woke buttons on immigration, on abortion, on gay and transgender people, on parental control of schools, of radical left racial books that are in libraries. He punishes bureaucrats who stand in the way of his agenda, and uses state power to wreak economic harm on  companies, like Disney, who speak out against the DeSantis program.

DeSantis has shown moxie and cunning in these first steps of his long march to the White House.  First, to gather 100 heavy Republican players and funders in a strategy meeting just 5 miles from Trump’s lair at Mar-a-Lago.  Then, to launch his new book on the DeSantis story and vison – an instant best-seller. Then to be featured at a gathering of the Club for Growth, conservative corporates and investors who believe in limited government and economic opportunity – and they  have refused to support Trump.  Haley, Scott and Sununu will also address the Club.

While they meet, Trump will be just outside Washington, addressing CPAC, the largest group of conservative activists in the country.  For the past seven years, Trump has been their king and has given the clarion call to his movement.  

As of today, in the latest Fox News poll, Trump leads DeSantis 43%-27%.

What will be closely watched is how much DeSantis and the others attack Trump, and how much Trump directly attacks those who are circling.

What must be understood is this:

Those seeking the  Republican presidential nomination have to take it from Trump.

He is not going to cede it or walk away from it. The only way to beat Trump is for another Republican to take him down — to defeat him in the upcoming Republican primaries next year. And the Republican who does take him down will be using Nikki Haley’s arguments that Trump should not, must not, be the Republican presidential candidate in 2024.

There is no way around it.  Nikki Haley has opened the door for the war of the Republicans.