Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ramped up his attacks on former President Donald Trump on Thursday, escalating his rhetoric after announcing his presidential bid the previous week.
At an event in Iowa, NBC’s Gabe Gutierrez asked the Florida governor about Trump’s claim that he would fix the country in six months, noting on Twitter that DeSantis “previously said he’d need two terms to turn the country around.”
“Why didn’t he do it in his first four years?” DeSantis responded. The governor and presidential candidate has repeatedly cited his ability to serve two full terms as an argument for nominating him rather than Trump.
.@GovRonDeSantis responds to my question about former President Trump saying he’d fix the U.S. in six months after DeSantis previously said he’d need two terms to turn the country around.
DeSantis: “Why didn’t he do it in his first four years?” pic.twitter.com/7Tu39HFuCr
— Gabe Gutierrez (@gabegutierrez) June 1, 2023
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung took aim at DeSantis’ response, saying he has a “minor league brain.”
“Of course DeSantis can’t process what was actually said. It’s tough to have a minor league brain in a major league world. President Trump is saying he would fix America AGAIN in 6 months. We had peace and prosperity before and he will bring it back,” Cheung said.
DeSantis remained mostly silent on Trump before officially announcing his presidential campaign on May 24. Since then, he has slammed the former president for “going left” on issues like Disney, immigration, the national debt and COVID-19 as for his “chaotic leadership style.” (RELATED: ‘All-Out Assault’: Things Are About To Bust Wide Open Between Trump, DeSantis)
People friendly with the DeSantis campaign previously told the Caller that he plans to employ a “rope-a-dope” technique in attacking Trump, while sources close to the Trump campaign said the Florida governor should be ready for an “all-out assault.”