In a new interview, former President Donald Trump lambasted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on issues ranging from policy to personality, criticising the governor for essentially campaigning for president without filing.
When asked if he would endorse DeSantis if he became the Republican nominee for president in 2024, Trump was evasive.
“It’s too soon to tell.” “I’m not a fan of how he’s running so far,” Trump told The Messenger in an interview published Monday. “He’s doing commercials.” He’s operating like a candidate, but he’s not required to follow the rules since he hasn’t filed, which is a complete violation.” The advertisements are being run by an independent political committee, not by DeSantis himself.
When it became evident that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was considering a GOP presidential run in 2024, Trump did not call to question his intentions.
“However, if he runs, he runs.” However, he is extremely disloyal. Before Trump endorsed him for governor in 2018, he was “a dead man walking,” according to the former president. “He was dead as a doornail.” And I resurrected him. … I’m a trustworthy individual. If something happened to me, I’d never run against the person who did it.”
DeSantis, 44, has “got plenty of years left,” the former president remarked, warning that if he runs this time, he will lose Trump’s voter base in future elections.
When the Florida governor originally emerged as a top Republican presidential candidate — while he hasn’t officially declared his candidature — he was polling close to Trump. His popularity has plummeted in recent months, and Trump feels it is due to a personal issue.
“He lacks personality.” “And I don’t think he’s very good at politics,” Trump continued.
Trump said that in recent weeks, even many anti-abortion activists thought DeSantis’ six-week abortion restriction was too tough.
“If you look at what DeSantis did, a lot of people don’t even know if he knew what he was doing,” he added, declining to take a position on the subject.
DeSantis, for his part, has mainly avoided taking direct shots at Trump, despite coming under assault from the former president. DeSantis refused to take shots at the former president in a story about the Disney case published Monday, instead opting to punch left.
“We’re a distinct nation.” We have a separate people, and that must have some significance. We have a distinct culture. “We have distinct traditions,” DeSantis remarked. “And I think a big part of [the left’s] project is to really undermine a lot of the institutions, traditions, and values that have stood the test of time.”