Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) praised NBC after the third GOP debate Wednesday, saying during his post-debate interview that the network “did a good job.”
He also lauded the debate’s moderators, NBC’s Lester Holt and Kristen Welker.
“I think the people at home probably got a good viewing experience, because the questions were substantive, people were able to talk, there wasn’t a lot of screaming back and forth, and so I think the value of this debate was probably more than the one we did in Simi Valley,” he said.
The second GOP debate in Simi Valley, Calif., was dogged by combative candidates, odd questions and jumbled moments with candidates talking over each other. While there were still some fireworks in Wednesday’s debate, the event was more subdued than previous editions.
He also made a jab at former President Trump, who has been notably absent at every GOP debate. The former president is also expected to skip the race’s fourth debate in Alabama next month.
“When he [Trump] gives speeches, it’s usually off the teleprompter, and I think his view is like, well, he has a polling lead, therefore, why would he want to get involved and actually earn the job? But that’s not the way this goes,” DeSantis continued.
The Florida governor generally avoided significant gaffes during the third debate and contributed to policy discussions.