Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is setting the records straight on rumors of tension with former President Trump. During an interview with Fox News, DeSantis attributed reports that the two Republicans are feuding to media spin. Throughout the interview, DeSantis emphasized that he, along with other Republicans, has Trump’s full support.
Fox News reports:
“Donald Trump’s a friend of mine. He is proud when people do well, and it’s not just me, but obviously he’s a Florida resident, and he appreciates the job that we’ve done. He’s told me that many times, not only with helping with the election, but just how we govern the state.”
“He wants to see Republicans doing well,” DeSantis continued. “And I think when media is trying to act like he’s upset at me for doing well, I think that’s total bunk. I think they’re just making it up. And I think he’s somebody that wants to see, you know, not just Republicans do well, but people that are actually going to stand and fight do well across the board. Obviously, Florida is an important state, the third-largest state in the country, and really us and Texas are the two biggest states that have sizable Republican footprints, and so we’re proud of that, and we’re going to keep it going.”
DeSantis remained silent on his potential plans to run for president in 2024 and whether he would consider not running against Trump should he also decide to launch a presidential campaign. The Florida governor also brushed off claims a source close to Trump said that DeSantis has a “dull personality” as Democrats trying to stoke division between the two powerful Republicans.
“No. I mean, look, I think that what they’re trying to do is they’re Biden. They did all they could to get Biden elected. OK. They lied about Trump for four years. They did everything they could to get Biden elected, the guy who campaigned from his basement. They never asked any questions about that. Well, now he gets in. And he had a disastrous first year as president said the worst first year president of any president since the 1800s. People compare him to Jimmy Carter. Carter was much more successful his first year than Biden has been,” DeSantis told Fox News Digital.
“So they know that, they know the Democrats are in for a shellacking in 2022. So they’re trying to change the topic, and they’re trying to drive dissension among Republicans. And so my message to people is, don’t take that bait. Understand what they’re trying to do. We need to be united and say we don’t like what the Biden administration’s doing. We offer a better course in Florida. I think other Republican states are offering a better vision in their states as well. And let’s go into ‘22 with a full head of steam with everybody united on the same team.
During the interview, DeSantis also touched on former Vice President Mike Pence’s recent speech where he pointed at Trump when he said, “President Trump is wrong… I had no right to overturn the election” and called it “un-American.”
DeSantis noted that while he’s proud of what the pair did in Florida during the 2020 election he would let them “hash that out” themselves referencing the Jan. 6 electoral certification.
