Ron vs Don: DeSantis assails Trump as 2024 White House race heats up
- Likely presidential candidate Ron DeSantis seeks to differentiate himself from Donald Trump, brush off nicknames
- Trump maintains his grip on the Republican Party, even as a possible criminal indictment in New York looms
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has taken his most direct shots yet at rival Donald Trump, with the gloves finally coming off in what is widely expected to be the head-to-head for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Trump is making his third run for the White House after losing his re-election bid in 2020, and DeSantis is seen as his closest potential challenger by far, although he hasn’t officially entered the race.
DeSantis drew a distinction between his own “no daily drama” leadership style and the constant noise around Trump, suggesting the former president wasted much of his time courting controversy.
“It’s not important for me to be fighting with people on social media. It’s not accomplishing anything for the people I represent,” DeSantis said in an interview for Piers Morgan Uncensored on the streaming service Fox Nation.
“So, we really just focus on knocking out victories, day after day, and if I got involved in all the undertow I would not be able to be an effective governor.”
DeSantis’ broadside comes as he has lost ground in polling amid escalating taunts from the former president.