Donald Trump Confident Ron DeSantis Won’t Beat Him in 2024 Run
The primary season for the 2024 presidential elections has yet to start, but former President Donald Trump has already started attacking his projected primary rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis is seen as Trump's biggest rival in the race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. And as the former president returns to the campaign trail on Saturday, he took a direct swing at the Florida governor's bad record, particularly on DeSantis' alleged disastrous COVID-19 pandemic response.
DeSantis had been leading in the primary polls against Trump. However, the former president has regained momentum against the Florida governor, whom many see as a better alternative.
Trump stated that the governor shifted his positions on COVID-19 vaccines and closures during the pandemic and accused DeSantis of "rewriting history," according to Axios, which reported that he refused to impose restrictions whenever cases spiked.
Trump also criticized DeSantis for closing down businesses and beaches in Florida when he praised GOP governors who chose not to close down their states. Florida was one of the worst-hit states in terms of COVID-19 deaths and infections.
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Donald Trump Takes Credit for Elevating Ron DeSantis's Career
It is not just Ron DeSantis's record in handling COVID-19 that Donald Trump hit at. The former president also claimed he was responsible for elevating the Florida governor's career. He then noted, "When I hear that he might run I think it's very disloyal."
Trump then dismissed polls that showed DeSantis leading him in the Republican primaries before saying that he was the one who picked DeSantis and was the reason why he was in that position.
"He won't be leading, I got him elected," the former president said. He added: "I'm the one that chose him."
Politico reported that unlike in 2020, Trump wouldn't be running unopposed this time, as he will be facing a wide field of possible opponents, including DeSantis.
An adviser claimed that his campaign has already compiled research against all possible candidates. The former president also brushed off any concern that he would not secure the nomination, saying, "I don't think we have competition this time either, to be honest."
Potential GOP Challenger Nikki Haley Slams Donald Trump
As one of the frontrunners in becoming the GOP nominee to possibly challenge Joe Biden, Donald Trump has another target on his back. One of the possible candidates challenging him is former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who has already started criticizing him.
Haley, who previously served as Trump's UN ambassador, has already called her former boss to announce her intentions to run.
She tweeted a clip of her Fox News interview with a caption that served as a not-so-subtle dig at both Trump and Biden, who are in their later years at 76 and 80, respectively. The caption read that it was time for a "new generation to lead."â
According to The New York Post, Haley is expected to formally announce her run soon. However, many political analysts believe she would only pose a moderate challenge to Trump, whose biggest rival is Ron DeSantis.
Currently, Donald Trump is facing multiple investigations as he tries to run for office again, from his shady business dealings with the Trump Organization to leading the January 6 Capitol insurrection.
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This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
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