Former President Donald Trump gave his rival Ron DeSantis another nickname Saturday — mocking the Florida governor as a “wounded bird of prey” at a GOP event on his home turf.
Trump, 77, claimed responsibility for launching DeSantis, 45, to prominence during his 2018 campaign for president, claiming the Navy sailor sought his support.
“I supported him and he became a rocket ship in 24 hours. … Now he’s like a wounded bird falling from the sky,” the 45th commander-in-chief quipped in a speech at the Florida Republican Party’s Freedom Summit.
Standing under a graphic that read “Florida is Trump State,” Trump reiterated his long-held belief that DeSantis was disloyal for daring to run against him for the nation’s highest office.
As an example of DeSantis’ fair punishment, Trump pointed to polling results that suggested he unseat DeSantis, 45, in the 2024 race.
Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during the Florida Freedom Summit at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida, on November 4, 2023. CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The Sunshine State governor has consistently polled poorly since announcing his candidacy, with recent polls showing him trailing Trump by 27 percentage points and tied for second place with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Trump has repeatedly targeted DeSantis — once considered Trump’s strongest opponent for the Republican bid — and issued several derogatory nicknames for him, such as “Ron DeSanctimonious” and “DeSaster.”
“We’re going to win the Florida primary for the third time in a row, and we’re going to win the state by a landslide next November,” Trump told the raucous crowd.
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Florida Freedom Summit at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida on Saturday, November 4, 2023.Joe Marino/UPI/Shutterstock
He also demonstrated that he was able to convince several Florida lawmakers to switch their support from DeSantis in the days leading up to the summit.
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DeSantis, who spoke earlier in the day, took a subtle jab at the former president but never mentioned his name.
He accused Republicans of having “winnable elections” in the last three rounds and argued the GOP brand is “toxic” outside of Florida, a direct dig at Trump’s poor record leading the party in recent polls.
He mostly stuck to his standard argument, however, that his results in Tallahassee proved his conservative mettle.
“Florida has shown the way forward for the Republican Party,” DeSantis told the crowd, drawing applause for a conservative policy victory in the state.
“No state has done more to defeat the left at the institutional level than we have in the state of Florida.”
Offstage, he downplayed Trump’s latest show of Florida support.
“This is happening in this matter,” he told reporters, flanked by top legislative leaders, Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez and several sheriffs.
“We have experienced the opposite change in other states. It’s a dynamic thing. Politicians do what they are going to do.”
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
