Ron DeSantis Throws Trump Into a Tizzy

Ron DeSantis Throws Trump Into a Tizzy Former President Donald Trump released a hefty statement Wednesday in response to an interview featuring Florida Governor Ron DeSantis that is airing later this week. British broadcaster Piers Morgan wrote an op-ed piece for the New York Post on Tuesday previewing his interview with the Republican governor in which Morgan said DeSantis "has finally taken the gloves off" against Trump. Since launching his reelection campaign for 2024, the former president has repeatedly criticized DeSantis. During the interview set to air on Thursday, DeSantis addressed his anticipated 2024 campaign, which is expected to launch later in the spring. According to Morgan's preview, the Florida governor says during their discussion, "I have what it takes to be president and I can beat [President Joe] Biden." DeSantis also addressed the repeated attacks from Trump, saying that the "regular attempts to provoke him"—such as giving the Florida governor nicknames or taunting him with hypothetical election polls where Trump is shown ahead—are nothing by "background noise." In his statement Wednesday, which was obtained by Newsweek, the former president started off his lengthy paragraph by addressing the preview of DeSantis' appearance with Morgan from the day before, writing, "Now that Ron DeSanctimonious is finally admitting he's in the Race by beginning to fight back, and now that his Polls have crashed so he has no other choice, let me explain the facts." According to Trump, DeSantis "is, for a Republican, an average Governor," and in the 2022 midterm election, DeSantis earned "1.2 million less Votes in Florida than me." In the 2020 presidential election against Biden, Trump garnered roughly 5.7 million votes in Florida, while DeSantis won his gubernatorial reelection in the fall with about 4.6 million votes. "He is a disciple of Paul Ryan, and did whatever Ryan told him to do," Trump continued. "Florida has been successful for many years, long before I put Ron there—It's amazing what Ocean and Sunshine will do!" Trump also criticized DeSantis' approach to the coronavirus outbreak, claiming that he "was a big Lockdown Governor" and said that Florida has had one of the highest COVID-19 death rates. "Other Republican Governors did MUCH BETTER than Ron and, because I allowed them this 'freedom,' never closed their States," read the statement. "Remember, I left that decision up to the Governors!" "The fact is, Ron is an average Governor," Trump concluded, "but the best by far in the Country in one category, Public Relations, where he easily ranks Number One—But it is all a Mirage, just look at the facts and figures, they don't lie—And we don't want Ron as our President!" Trump also published his statement in a series of posts on his Truth Social account. Newsweek has reached out to DeSantis' campaign via email for comment. DeSantis boasted about his administration's approach to COVID while speaking to Morgan, saying his and Trump's approaches to the virus outbreak would've been "different." "I would have fired somebody like Fauci," the governor said, referring to Anthony Fauci, Trump's former top medical adviser to COVID-19. "I think he got way too big for his britches, and I think he did a lot of damage." According to a Monmouth University survey released on Tuesday, 41 percent of Republican and GOP-leaning voters would prefer Trump as their next presidential candidate, while only 27 percent said they would choose DeSantis as the GOP nominee. In a hypothetical race between the two Republicans, however, the respondents were split almost evenly, with 47 percent saying they would vote for Trump, with 46 percent giving their support to DeSantis. https://www.newsweek.com/ron-desantis-throws-trump-tizzy-1789714

Category