Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is facing criticism after making a comment that has been interpreted as a slight against passionate supporters of former President Donald Trump. In an interview with the Florida Standard, DeSantis addressed the accusations that he is a “Republican in name only” (RINO) due to his association with Trump. He defended his conservative values and expressed frustration with a faction of the party that labels anyone not showing unwavering loyalty to Trump as a RINO. DeSantis cautioned against creating a political movement centered solely around one individual’s personality, suggesting that blindly following everything from a specific source, such as “Truth Social,” is not conducive to a strong movement.
These remarks have sparked comparisons to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign comment, where she referred to some Trump supporters as “deplorables.” Supporters of Trump took to social media to criticize DeSantis, accusing him of belittling Trump supporters. Karoline Leavitt, spokesperson for Make America Great Again Inc, demanded an apology and drew parallels between DeSantis’ comment and Clinton’s statement. Likewise, Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump, compared DeSantis to Clinton, implying that he was disrespecting MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters.
However, Governor DeSantis’ spokesperson, Bryan Griffin, stood by the comments, stating that some congressional endorsers of Trump show a sense of entitlement to supporters’ votes. DeSantis has been viewed as a significant political rival to Trump within the Republican Party, particularly in the lead-up to the presidential primaries. Despite DeSantis’ popularity, recent polling suggests that Trump still maintains a dominant position in the polls. The first Republican primary debate is scheduled for Wednesday, but reports indicate that Trump will skip it in favor of an interview with Tucker Carlson.