Trump Calls DeSantis An ‘Average’ Governor, Says He Was ‘Politically Dead’ Before Endorsing Him
Former President Donald Trump criticized Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida Thursday in a statement posted on Truth Social, calling him an “average” governor who was “politically dead” and in “desperate shape” before Trump endorsed him in 2017.
“Ron came to me in desperate shape in 2017—he was politically dead, losing in a landslide to a very good Agriculture Commissioner, Adam Putnam, who was loaded up with cash and great poll numbers. Ron had low approval, bad polls, and no money, but he said that if I would Endorse him, he could win,” Trump said in the statement.
DeSantis defeated Adam Putman, the Republican Agriculture Commissioner, in the 2018 Republican primary for governor by 20%, according to Ballotpedia.
Trump previously attacked DeSantis Saturday, calling the Florida Republican “Ron De-Sanctimonious.”
“I then got Ron by the ‘Star’ of the Democrat Party, Andrew Gillum (who was later revealed to be a ‘Crack Head’), by having two massive Rallies with tens of thousands of people at each one. I also fixed his campaign, which had completely fallen apart,” Trump said later. “I was all in for Ron, and he beat Gillum, but after the Race, when votes were being stolen by the corrupt Election process in Broward County, and Ron was going down ten thousand votes a day, along with now-Senator Rick Scott, I sent in the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys, and the ballot theft immediately ended, just prior to them running out of the votes necessary to win. I stopped his Election from being stolen.”
DeSantis won the 2018 gubernatorial race against Democratic Mayor Andrew Gillum of Tallahassee by a razor-thin margin of 33,683 votes or 0.41%. DeSantis defeated former Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist by 17% on Tuesday, part of a Republican landslide in Florida that was a bright spot on a night where the party underperformed expectations nationwide.
Trump-endorsed Republican senatorial nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz lost to Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania Tuesday, while other endorsees, including Adam Laxalt in Nevada and Blake Masters are in elections that are too close to call as of Thursday evening. Former NFL running back and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker faces a Dec. 6 runoff against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia.
DeSantis did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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Stop with the Petulant in-party fighting. Our problem is the blue, not our own. Look for ways to work together. I like a lot that Trump did in office to better our country, but the baffoonish sophomoric behavior MUST go!
To those that voted Blue . . . Screw YOU!
I voted for Trump twice and admire what he was able to accomplish in spite of the treasonous opposition. But right before a critical midterm he attacks fellow Republicans; O’Dea, Bolduk, Kemp, and even the greatest Governor in the U.S., De Santis. I find that disgusting and reprehensible and I will not vote for him again. It seems that unless he personally anoints you or you kiss his ring then he starts his juvenile name calling.
De Santis fights as fiercely as Trump but is way more articulate and uses logic and reason instead of mere name calling. Tell me any other Governor in the U.S. who has had the cojones to fire a Soros financed prosecutor because he wasn’t doing his constitutional duty. De Santis did, yet Trump wouldn’t fire the treasonous FBI director Comey and hired the feckless and weak Jeff Sessions and then Bill Barr. Picking the best people is Trump’s biggest weakness (aside from his uncontrollable mouth and ego). Imagine what accountability and damage could have been done to the Democrats and the “Deep State” if he had hired aggressive and effective Attorney Generals. De Santis has a very effective Attorney General and, in fact, fired a state Attorney General of the 13th Judicial Circuit for “neglect of duty”. He also appointed the best medical Surgeon General in the country who has vocally and fearlessly fought COVID mandates, lockdowns and lies about vaccines preventing transmission. Tell me any other Governor who is strong enough to go against a behemoth international “woke” corporation like Disney. De Santis did and did so effectively. Then, he brilliantly sent 50 illegals to Martha’s Vineyard and exposed to the whole country the left’s hyperbolic hypocrisy.
Sure they’ll come after De Santis like they did Trump but that will only show to the world that it’s not just Trump that they’re after but any strong figure in the political opposition. Trump is too polarizing and never win independents or “swing” voters. De Santis will and has. De Santis has both a military and a law background and can fight them on the ground or in the courts and win! So thank you President Trump for exposing the Deep State but it’s time to pass the torch and avoid any unnecessary and destructive infighting that only helps the Democrats. Sometimes they win because they never break ranks and they never eat their own.