‘I’m not a candidate’: Ron DeSantis awkwardly reacts to question on Trump beating him in the polls
The Florida governor is behind Trump in the polls and in endorsements
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis responded to questions about how he is trailing former president Donald Trump in polls and endorsements, by noting he is not even in the race.
Mr DeSantis is currently in Tokyo as he continues to prepare for a potential White House run. CNN reported that one member of the press asked him about the fact he is currently far behind Mr Trump in polls.
“I'm not a candidate, so we'll see if and when that changes,” Mr DeSantis said.
Despite the fact that he has been touted as the most viable challenger to the former president, Mr DeSantis has fallen behind Mr Trump in many key aspects in the shadow presidential primary. A Wall Street Journal poll found that the 14-point lead the Florida governor had in December had devolved into a 13-point deficit.
Mr Trump leads among Republican primary voters with 51 per cent of the vote compared to Mr DeSantis’s 38 per cent. This has come after Mr Trump has repeatedly attacked Mr DeSantis, calling him “DeSanctimonious,” and criticising him for wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare.
In addition, despite Mr DeSantis venturing to Washington, where he served as a Congressman from 2013 to 2018 before he ran for governor, Mr Trump received a slew of endorsements from the Republican members of Florida’s delegation, including Representatives Greg Steuebe, Carlos Gimenez, Brian Mast and Vern Buchanan.
While Mr DeSantis has mostly refrained from criticising Mr Trump, many in the former president’s inner circle and his most outspoken defenders lambasted Mr DeSantis when he said “I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair.”
The line was seen as a swipe at Mr Trump ahead of his eventual indictment and arraignment for charges related alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
In addition, he received staunch criticism when he called the war in Ukraine a “territorial dispute” between Russia and Ukraine.
Mr DeSantis has made targeting how gender identity, sexual orientation and racism are discussed in schools a hallmark of his campaign. More recently, he openly toyed with the idea of building a prison near Disneyworld because of its opposition to his “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments