Responding to a question about Obama and the “deep state,” Ron DeSantis raises doubts about why Obama didn’t address the issue during his presidency.
Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida asserts that it’s up to the people to determine whether Vice President Joe Biden deserves another term in office.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, following Vice President Biden’s recent fall at the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado, DeSantis announces his bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
Assistance arrived promptly, and Biden appeared to be unharmed. The White House later confirmed that the president was alright.
Nevertheless, concerns have been raised by many Republicans about Biden’s mental and physical capabilities to serve as president for another four years, considering his age of 80, making him the oldest president in the nation’s history.
When asked if he shares those concerns, DeSantis responds, “That’s for the people to judge.”
While expressing hopes for Biden’s speedy recovery, DeSantis states, “I hope he didn’t sustain any injuries.” He adds, “I’m running for president because I want the U.S. to recover swiftly from the damage Joe Biden has inflicted on the country, and ultimately, I believe his policies have been misguided.”
DeSantis acknowledges, “I do think he lacks energy and such,” but emphasizes, “My main concern is that he is pursuing a path that hasn’t been beneficial for this country.”
Minutes later, during his final event of the day in New Hampshire, Governor Ron DeSantis echoes similar sentiments. New Hampshire holds the first primary and second overall contest in the Republican presidential nomination process.
Earlier this year, Nikki Haley, a fellow contender for the Republican nomination and former governor of South Carolina, garnered attention by advocating for mandatory mental competency testing for all politicians aged 75 and above.
When asked about this proposal, DeSantis remarks, “I think it’s a bit of a gimmick. Ultimately, I believe it’s up to the voters to decide.”
The governor asserts, “Ultimately, the responsibility lies with the voters for their choices, and hopefully, we’ll make better decisions in 2024.”
Speaking to Fox News, DeSantis reiterates a theme from his campaign speeches, emphasizing that it will take more than one term in the White House to address the “deep state” and the unaccountable bureaucracy it represents.
These statements appear to be a subtle dig at former President Donald Trump, who currently leads by a significant margin in Republican nomination polls. Trump recently claimed during a rally in Iowa, “It’ll take me six months to get it back to the way it was.”
In response to Trump’s assertion that he can eliminate the “deep state” in six months, DeSantis remarks on Fox News, “My question to him would be, why didn’t you address it during your four years?”
Ever since announcing his presidential run last week, DeSantis has ramped up his criticism of former President Donald Trump. Trump has been attacking DeSantis’ primary competition for several months.
In recent months, there has been an escalation of attacks from the former president, his political team, and their supporters.
Up until last week, DeSantis largely refrained from responding to Trump’s criticisms. However, during a question and answer session with reporters in Iowa, DeSantis began aggressively pushing back against the former president, marking the start of his first campaign swing as a 2024 candidate.
DeSantis declares, “I will respond to attacks.” He adds, “I’ll respond with a counterattack and a strong defense.”
While DeSantis was addressing his fourth event in Iowa on Wednesday night, Trump took to Twitter to mock him for mispronouncing his name.
“I heard ‘Rob’ DeSanctimonious wants to change his name again. He insists everyone spells it with an ‘e,’ so it’s DeeeSantis, not DaSantis. Truth be told, the new pronunciation (with the emphasis on ‘Da’) sounds much better to me. He gets all worked up when anyone, even the media, mispronounces it. So, DeSanctimonious, why does he care?” Trump wrote.
Recent media coverage has focused on DeSantis alternating between pronouncing his name as “Deh-Santis” and “Dee-Santis” when referring to himself, which prompted Trump’s tweet.
DeSantis dismisses Trump’s comments as trivial, calling them “juvenile” during a radio broadcast in New Hampshire on Thursday morning.
Engaging in a daily personal feud with the former president, known for his confrontational politics, may not be wise.
DeSantis asserts, “I’m not personal at all. It’s ignorant and childish content. Voters probably don’t want it. I refuse to stoop that low.”
When asked by Fox News how to correctly pronounce his surname, DeSantis responds, “It’s ridiculous.” He jokingly adds, “The correct way to pronounce my name is ‘winner,’ so listen up!”