DeSantis Takes Shots At Trump In Wide-Ranging Interview

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) gave his harshest rebuke of former president Donald Trump yet, assaulting Trump’s character and highlighting things he would have done differently.

“Well, I think there’s a few things. The approach to covid was different. I would have fired somebody like Fauci. I think he got way too big for his britches, and I think he did a lot of damage,” DeSantis told tv host Piers Morgan in a recent interview that will air Thursday on Fox Nation. 

“I would have fired somebody like Fauci.”

Ron DeSantis highlights the differences between him and Donald Trump, saying he would run a government with “no daily drama”.

Watch the EXCLUSIVE and explosive interview with Piers Morgan, Thursday 8pm.@piersmorgan | @GovRonDeSantis pic.twitter.com/92ROJHwaeH

— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) March 22, 2023

“[T]he way we run the government, I think, is no daily drama.”

“At the end of the day, as a leader, you really want to look to people like our Founding Fathers,” DeSantis continued. “It’s not saying that you don’t ever make a mistake in your personal life, but I think, what type of character are you bringing? … I think the person is more about how you handle your public duties and the kind of character you bring to that endeavor.“

DeSantis added that George Washington “always put the Republic over his own personal interest.”

He also responded to Trump’s nicknames for him – ‘Ron DeSanctimonious’ and ‘Meatball Ron.’

Ron DeSantis responds to the Trump nicknames for him “Ron DeSanctimonious” and “Meatball Ron” pic.twitter.com/ORmO8KYcPQ

— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) March 22, 2023

Of course, Trump is still leading in the polls, and Fox News hosts don’t seem very happy about it.

The Fox Morning crew looks like they are going to pass out after recapping how Trump is crushing DeSantis in the polls…

pic.twitter.com/tXhy1daKCD

— Jason Robertson (@JRobFromMN) March 22, 2023

Trump supporters aren’t buying it…

Ron Destablishment is now taking shots at Trump, saying he “would’ve fired Fauci”

Besides that being impossible (Ron knows this) due to federal law protecting Fauci from termination, he’s a full of sh*t

In 2020 Ron was standing outdoors, double masked up, in the hot FL summer pic.twitter.com/AOQfJQC1uW

— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) March 21, 2023

He was standing masked and pushing the Vax well into 2021….But yeh, he would have fired Fauci pic.twitter.com/skrfzqlPuq

— I Want TRUMP MAGA. Not an IMITATING PRETENDER (@bvtucci) March 22, 2023

On beating Biden

“If I were to run, I’m running against Biden,” said DeSantis, stopping just short of announcing a 2024 run. “Like we [him and former President Donald Trump] are competing for the Republican, potentially, I get that, but ultimately you know the guy I’m gonna focus on is Biden because I think he’s failed the country. I think the country wants a change. I think they want a fresh start and a new direction and so we’ll be very vocal about that.”

On ‘woke ideology’

“You can’t win with just Republicans. You’ve gotta win with independents and you need to convince some of these Democrats, which I was able to do in Florida, because they’re not woke, they don’t like some of the nonsense going on,” he said. “They want their streets safe, and they want quality education. So I think you could appeal to people across the canvas.”

Governor of Florida Ron DeSantis, tells Piers Morgan that he thinks he can beat President Biden in an election.

Watch the EXCLUSIVE and explosive interview with Piers Morgan, Thursday at 8pm.@piersmorgan | @GovRonDeSantis | @TalkTV | #PMU pic.twitter.com/SXaqW0w3Xs

— Piers Morgan Uncensored (@PiersUncensored) March 22, 2023

More via the Epoch Times,

The Republican then went on to praise Florida’s battle against “woke” ideology.

In recent months, DeSantis has proposed blocking state colleges from having programs on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and the neo-Marxist ideology, critical race theory (CRT), something the Biden administration has made a priority.

During a recent discussion on the impact of CRT and DEI on students, the governor declared Florida is “not going to back down to the woke mob,” adding that students will “receive an education, not a political indoctrination.”

The state has also banned transgender surgery, hormone therapy, and puberty blockers for children.

Biden has branded Florida’s efforts to prevent what DeSantis calls efforts to “castrate” young children “close to sinful.”

On Monday, Florida voted to approve an abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy, although the bill includes exceptions for rape and incest.

‘I Can’t Worry About the Political Fallout’

The bill, which still needs to be considered in another Senate committee before it heads to the full Senate, runs contrary to Biden’s efforts to bolster access to abortions.

Biden and DeSantis have also sparred over a number of other key issues including COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Ultimately, DeSantis said he believes being Florida’s governor has prepared him for a possible presidency.

“What I’ve been called upon to do as governor is make the right decisions when it wasn’t easy,” DeSantis said. “I can’t worry about getting criticized. I can’t worry about the political fallout.”

DeSantis’s comments come as both he and Trump appear to lead in a number of 2024 polls, despite the Florida governor not yet announcing any candidacy. Biden also has not yet announced a possible run, but some polls show him in the lead over Trump.

Trump is currently being investigated by a New York grand jury over his alleged payment to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels and has called the probe, led by District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a witch hunt.

DeSantis appeared to defend Trump, who has publicly criticized him in the past, during a press conference on Monday in which he took aim at Bragg.

“I have not seen any facts yet, and so I don’t know what’s going to happen but I do know this: The Manhattan district attorney is a Soros-funded prosecutor and so he, like other Soros-funded prosecutors, they weaponize their office to impose a political agenda on society at the expense of the rule of law and public safety,” the governor said.

DeSantis on Trump indictment: “We are not involved in this, won’t be involved in this.” Calls it a ‘manufactured circus’ by a Soros DA. Adds “I’ve gotta spent my time on issues that actually matter to people, I’m fighting for Floridians” pic.twitter.com/w4ogMxiwM3

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) March 20, 2023