Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday responded to criticism by his potential 2024 rival, former President Donald Trump, by pointing at the scoreboard.
During a press conference in Sarasota, where DeSantis unveiled a new higher education platform that aims to end what he referred to as woke “indoctrination,” the Republican governor was asked about Trump’s recent comment that the incumbent owes his political life to Trump.
During campaign events in New Hampshire and South Carolina over the weekend, Trump declared DeSantis’ running for president in 2024 would be a “great act of disloyalty.”
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“If he runs, that’s fine. I’m way up in the polls,” Trump told the Associated Press. “He’s going to have to do what he wants to do, but he may run. I do think it would be a great act of disloyalty because, you know, I got him in. He had no chance. His political life was over.”
Trump was referring to his endorsement of DeSantis during the Republican primary in 2018. DeSantis won that race and defeated Democrat Andrew Gillum by about 30,000 votes.
On Tuesday, DeSantis noted what a difference four years makes.
After a reporter asked about the brewing feud, DeSantis noted that he secured the highest winning percentage for a Republican gubernatorial candidate in Florida history — 59% — and also snared the highest raw vote total of any candidate for governor in the Sunshine State. He added that his vote total nearly doubled the previous record.
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“I roll out of bed. I have people attacking me from all angles. It’s been happening for many, many years,” DeSantis replied.
“When you’re an elected executive, you have to make all kinds of decisions. You’ve got to steer that ship. And the good thing is, is that the people are able to render a judgment on that: whether they re-elect you or not,” he continued.
“That verdict has been rendered by the people of the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.
Democrat Joe Biden defeated Trump by 4 points in 2020.
Although it’s clear the governor is the clear choice of the GOP electorate if Trump is not part of the equation, DeSantis and Trump have see-sawed in recent polling among Republican voters.
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