Donald Trump’s allies are hitting back at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) after he leveled some of his most direct criticism yet at the former president in a Monday interview with television host Piers Morgan.
Make America Great Again Inc., the main Trump-aligned super PAC, claimed that DeSantis’s remarks to Morgan — of which parts were published Tuesday by the New York Post — were a desperate attempt to salvage his waning support in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the group pointed to a recent Monmouth University poll that found Trump leading DeSantis by 14 points in a hypothetical primary matchup, noting that a similar poll conducted in February showed the two men tied.
“Ron DeSantis is lashing out against President Trump because his poll numbers keep falling,” MAGA Inc. said. “Unfortunately for DeSantis, sitting down for an interview to bash President Trump with gun-grabber Piers Morgan won’t solve his issues with Republican voters.”
DeSantis hasn’t announced a 2024 presidential bid. While he’s actively preparing for a run, a final decision isn’t expected until late this spring after the Florida state legislature wraps up its annual session.
But in his interview with Morgan, DeSantis offered some of the clearest signals yet that he’s eyeing a campaign, while also raising questions about Trump’s character and leadership style and casting himself as a “winner” who could avoid the kind of daily drama that often defined Trump’s time in the White House.
“Just in terms of my approach to leadership, I get personnel in the government who have the agenda of the people and share our agenda,” DeSantis said. “You bring your own agenda in, you’re gone. We’re just not going to have that. So, the way we run the government, I think, is no daily drama, focus on the big picture and put points on the board, and I think that’s something that’s very important.”
DeSantis also brushed off Trump’s recent barrage of attacks, dismissing the nickname that Trump has used to mock him — “Ron DeSanctimonious” — as nonsense.
“You can call me whatever you want, just as long as you also call me a winner because that’s what we’ve been able to do in Florida, is put a lot of points on the board and really take this state to the next level,” DeSantis told Morgan.
The interview, the full version of which will air Thursday on Fox Nation’s “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” drew the ire of other Trump allies, like Jason Miller, a senior adviser to Trump, who took to Twitter on Tuesday to accuse DeSantis of being a political fraud.
“Ron DeSantis has finally shown his true colors,” Miller tweeted. “An establishment Never Trumper who despises the MAGA base and was faking it the entire time.”
Another Trump ally, Taylor Budowich, who now heads up MAGA Inc., ripped DeSantis for his apparent criticism of Trump, especially as the former president faces the threat of a potential criminal indictment.
“While the entire conservative movement is united against the unjust indictment of President Donald Trump, DeSantis is choosing to go off half-cocked and take shots on some low-rent vlog,” Budowich tweeted. “DeSantis’ terrible political instincts are being reflected in all the public polls as he flames out faster than @piersmorgan’s ratings.”