Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is stepping up his attacks on President Donald Trump by accusing the former president of “running to the left,” claiming he’s a “different man today” who his previous campaign in 2016 and 2020.
Speaking to conservative Tennessee radio host Matt Murphy, DeSantis criticized Trump’s campaign, saying it shows more signs of leaning toward left-wing ideology rather than following conservative values.
“He seems to be running to the left, and I’ve always been somebody who’s just been anchored in conservative principles,” DeSantis said in an interview with Matt Murphy.
“These will be interesting debates to have, but I can tell you that you don’t win at the national level by moving to the left,” he continued. “You win nationally by going for bold policy. We proved that in Florida. I never watered down anything I did.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a policy panel, Friday, May 19, 2023, in Bedford, NH (Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)
The Florida governor said his presidential rival “is a different man today.”
“I don’t know what happened to Donald Trump,” DeSantis said. “This is a different man today than when he ran in 2015 and 2016, and I think the direction he’s going with his campaign is the wrong direction.”
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“At the end of the day,” DeSantis told Murphy, “he’s going left on a lot of the fiscal, he’s going left on culture, he’s even sided with Disney on against me.”
Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Adler Theater on March 13, 2023 in Davenport, Iowa. Trump’s visit follows potential challengers for the GOP presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who held events in the state last week. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
DeSantis and Trump traded barbs this week following DeSantis’ official entry into the 2024 Republican presidential primary, with the Florida governor amplifying his attacks on the former president.
On Thursday, May 25, DeSantis slammed Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, arguing that he “destroyed the lives of millions” by handing the country over to Dr. Anthony Fauci.
“I think [Trump] he did great for three years, but when he turned the country over to Fauci in March 2020, it destroyed the lives of millions of people,” DeSantis said. “And in Florida, we were one of the few that put standing, cut against the grain, took The incoming fire from the media, the bureaucracy, the left, even many Republicans, had school open, businesses preserved. “
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In turn, Trump has stepped up his attacks on the governor, saying DeSantis’ presidential election announcement was a “disaster.”
“Wow. The DeSanctus TWITTER release is a DISASTER!” Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth. “His whole campaign will be a disaster. WATCH!”
President Donald Trump greets Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis as his wife Casey DeSantis looks on as they introduce themselves during a campaign rally at Hertz Arena on October 31, 2018 in Estero, Florida . (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Trump, who in November launched his third consecutive campaign for the White House, has been the clear favorite in the GOP presidential nomination polls for a couple of months.
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National polls released this week by Fox News and Quinnipiac University showed Trump leading DeSantis by more than 30 percentage points, and new national polls from Marquette Law School also suggest the former president had wide double-digit leads over the governor of Florida.
Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten is a writer on the breaking news team at Fox News Digital. You can reach her on Twitter at @s_rumpfwhitten.
