As this year plays out, former President Trump is trying to get his 2024 campaign for the White House in good shape. He’s been campaigning in places like South Carolina and New Hampshire, along with speaking to the media.
Lately, Trump is also lobbing different criticisms against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Trump thinks that it would not be “loyal” for DeSantis to run in the 2024 presidential election. The former president is basing this view on a 2018 endorsement he gave to DeSantis when the latter first ran to be Florida’s governor.
On top of this, Trump also accused DeSantis of being less than forthcoming about how he initially handled COVID. This past Tuesday, the Florida governor reacted to all of the attacks with some key remarks, as documented by Politico.
DeSantis Keeps His Cool
Yesterday, the Florida governor spent time in Bradenton to give a press conference. During this time, he was questioned about the latest potshots from Trump.
DeSantis reacted by explaining, as an elected official, he is used to being attacked by various people and from all different angles.
DESANTIS RESPONDS TO TRUMP ATTACKS: "I roll out of bed, I have people attacking me from all angles […] In my case, not only did we win re-election, we won with the highest percentage of the vote than any Republican governor candidate in the history of the state of Florida." pic.twitter.com/FLEXeVPlRn
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) January 31, 2023
On top of this, the Florida governor clarified that when it comes to elected officials’ various responses to issues they face in office, their constituents are the ones who ultimately determine whether they did a good or poor job.
This was followed up by DeSantis reminding that he won reelection by a landslide in 2022. In fact, the 19-point margin of victory was greater than any win of a GOP governor in the state of Florida.
Rumors of a 2024 Run
Last month, rumors began to emerge that DeSantis is considering and/or laying the groundwork to run in the 2024 presidential election. This could potentially be what is motivating Trump to ramp up his attack against the Florida governor.
As it stands, some Republicans have become irritated with Trump going after DeSantis. The former president did this ahead of the 2022 midterms as well, coining the Florida governor “Ron DeSanctimonious.”
Right now, the American public is watching the tension rise between the pair. Recent polling out of New Hampshire once again shows DeSantis leading Trump.
In Florida, we will ensure that taxpayer-funded higher ed institutions focus on pursuing truth, promoting excellence, and providing students with a foundation so they can think for themselves, not to enforce ideological conformity and political activism. pic.twitter.com/OOz5iO1Jwr
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 31, 2023
Some folks have speculated that polls such as this, along with DeSantis’ growing political stock, are ultimately causing Trump to feel threatened.
In the midst of all this, multiple PACs, such as NH Draft DeSantis, Ready For Ron, and Ron to the Rescue, have started campaigning for the Florida governor to announce his 2024 candidacy. We’ll know in the months ahead whether or not DeSantis chooses to get into the race.
What do you think about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest response to attacks from former President Trump? We’d be more than interested to get your feedback in the comments area below.
