Florida Governor Ron DeSantis blasted the establishment GOP and potentially took a veiled swipe at former President Trump in a recent speech in Iowa decrying the GOP’s “culture of losing.”
DeSantis attended an afternoon picnic fundraiser in Sioux Center that drew hundreds of conservatives to the northwest corner of the state. The visit seems to have been unscheduled.
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DeSantis, who is expected to announce his 2024 presidential campaign any day, briefly helped with the barbecue before taking to the podium, where he emphasized his embrace of conservative cultural fights and sprinkled veiled swipes at Trump.
Desantis’s prime focus, however, was on the GOP getting focused on winning again.
“I think the hope is both Florida and Iowa show how strong leadership and a bold agenda can defeat the left in this country, but there’s no substitute for victory…..We must reject the culture of losing that has infected our party in recent years. The time for excuses is over. We’ve got to demonstrate the courage to lead and the strength to win.”
DeSantis addresses a long-standing Republican pathology of being willing to lose on principle but also makes a not-so-subtle dig at former President Trump here, who has been partially blamed for the lackluster Republican performance in the midterms, outside of Florida, that is.
DeSantis also spoke on his preferred strategy for 2024, with one of his most bold swipes at the former president, mentioning the 2020 election as a distraction.
“If we make the 2024 election a referendum on Joe Biden and his failures, and if we provide a positive alternative for the future of this country, Republicans will win across the board. If we do not do that, if we get distracted, if we focus the election on the past or on other side issues, then I think the Democrats are going to beat us again, and I think it will be very difficult to recover from that defeat.”
Governor DeSantis: “If we make [the] 2024 election a referendum on Joe Biden and his failures and if we provide a positive alternative for the future of this country, Republicans will win across the board.”
We cannot “get distracted” and “focus the election on the past.” pic.twitter.com/BljseHuzwK
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) May 13, 2023
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Many expect Donald Trump, being his big personality, not to stick to this strategy during his run. However, a recent Town Hall with CNN saw Trump exhibiting more discipline than usual. Either way, DeSantis is growing bolder with his critiques of Trump, all but confirming his run.
Conversely, Trump has not veiled his rips on DeSantis, giving him the nickname “DeSanctimonious” and warning him that running against him will not end well.
But that hasn’t stopped Trump and DeSantis from being on the same page in many culture war issues. DeSantis jumped in with both feet on transgender surgeries for minors.
“It is WRONG for physicians to perform sex change operations on minors. This is a barbaric practice — and in Florida, we put a stop to it. And physicians that try to do will not only be held accountable in terms of statue, they’re going to lose their medical license in our state and that’s appropriate.”
“It is WRONG for physicians to perform sex change operations on minors. This is a barbaric practice — and in Florida, we put a stop to it.” pic.twitter.com/JT7qRPdSJe
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) May 13, 2023
The Governor also promised to “shut down the border immediately” if in Joe Biden’s shoes, citing the danger it poses to Americans.
DESANTIS: "I'd shut down the border immediately. Why are we letting this happen to our country? It's hurting people!"
"Americans are dying" pic.twitter.com/b58bS10P6p
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) May 13, 2023
Between his jabs at Trump and his statements on what he’d do if he were president, DeSantis’s presidential run announcement cannot be far off.
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