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DeSantis to Trump: ‘I don’t spend my time trying to smear other Republicans’
Florida's Voice ^ | 08 Feb 2023 | Eric Daugherty

Posted on 02/08/2023 12:28:57 PM PST by Drew68

OCALA, Fla. (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to former President Donald Trump’s ‘ReTruth’ of a post claiming the Florida governor is a “groomer,” in reference to a photo from left-wing media outlet MeidasTouch.

The response is one of the most direct ones he’s offered since Trump’s criticism began in late 2022, sparking with the former president’s nickname of the DeSantis being “Ron DeSanctimonious.”

“Governor, former President Trump yesterday made a series of posts on TRUTH Social directed at you some were insinuating that…” a reporter asked. DeSantis chimed in, “I get it, I get you guys want the controversy.”

The reporter asked the governor how his ideas on defamation legislation – promoting a venue of private action for false media reports that harm the reputations of individuals – would relate to posts like Trump’s.

“I have a platform to fight back a lot of these other people that are more little. They don’t necessarily have a platform to fight back,” he replied.

DeSantis said as governor, he would not spend time fighting defamation lawsuits; he also said he does not spend his time “trying to smear other Republicans.”

“And I’d also just say this, I spend my time delivering results for the people of Florida and fighting against Joe Biden. That’s how I spend my time,” DeSantis said. “I don’t spend my time trying to smear other Republicans.”

The day prior, before Trump’s ReTruths, DeSantis defended the former president on what he called the “Russian collusion hoax.”

“Well, I think the swan song has been this Russia collusion hoax because they indulged in that for for two years,” DeSantis said to a panel of lawyers and others who said they’re victim of defamation, like Covington Catholic Nicholas Sandmann.

“I mean, it all eventually was debunked and even in real time people were saying this, but they just kept cycling in this. And I think it just raises the question, you know, this obsession with these anonymous sources, where did that come from?” he said.

“It used to be rare that you would do it, I mean, to assassinate someone’s character with anonymous sources would have been a total no-no. Now it’s just kind of like a normal and actually the preferred method of being able to deliver content,” the governor said.

DeSantis has not named Trump directly in response to criticisms, but in January responded to attacks by citing his electoral landslide in 2022.

“I roll out of bed, I have people attacking me from all angles. It’s been happening for many, many years,” DeSantis said.

One criticism Trump pointed to was DeSantis’ handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

“If you take a crisis situation like COVID, the good thing about it is when you’re an elected executive, you have to make all kinds of decisions. You gotta steer that ship. And the good thing is that the people are able to render a judgment on that whether they reelect you or not,” he said.

“And I’m happy to say, you know, in my case, not only did we win reelection, we won with the highest percentage of the vote that any Republican governor candidate has in the history of the state of Florida.”

DeSantis defeated Democrat Charlie Crist by nearly 20 points.

He pointed to his margin being the “largest raw vote margin” than “any governor candidate” in the history of Florida. The margin was around 1.5 million votes.

“And so what I would just say is – that verdict has been rendered by the people of the state of Florida.”

Earlier in January, DeSantis defended the former president on his handling of classified documents in comparison to President Joe Biden.

DeSantis slammed Biden for going on 60 Minutes late last year saying Trump was “totally irresponsible” in how he handled storing classified documents at Mar-a-Lago.

“He said that it was ‘incredibly reckless’ to have classified – he said all this stuff, you know, on 60 Minutes […] Now you find out he had them stashed behind his corvette at his house that Hunter had access to, which is definitely a security risk in my book,” DeSantis said.

“They had all this stuff to say [about Trump], now they’re acting [like] it’s not a big deal. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. You can’t have two different sets of rules based on your political party.“


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: 2024; babylonbee; desanctimonious; desantis; desantisshills; desantistouts; election2024; fl; florida; gop; groomer; marapogo; minime; okgroomer; reagans11thcommand; rondemitchschoice; rondepaulryanschoice; rondesantis; sweetsixteen; theorangehothead; thepickofthegopee; trump; trumpzheimers; truthisntasmear
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To: Thilly Thailor

—> the Reagan Rule.

Eh. I don’t care.

And there are quite a few deep state hacks - like Bush I - who should’ve been criticized and never selected.


61 posted on 02/08/2023 12:56:28 PM PST by aMorePerfectUnion (Fraud vitiates everything. )
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To: V_TWIN; All

Wrong. The same crowd on FR was going crazy when Trump started going after Cruz. This place was in open war against Trump in 2016. Rush didn’t mention Trump’s win in his opening monologs (although Rush never really went after Trump he knew what conservatives wanted and it wasn’t Trump). The a political type loves this. Then and now. Trump will get huge non conservative votes like he did in 2016 because people hate politicians and DeSantis is one. Remember Cruz trying to convince New Yorkers and Pennsylvanians...I think that was after his Wisconsin win. Comedy gold


62 posted on 02/08/2023 12:56:57 PM PST by wiseprince (Me,)
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To: Drew68

“But now he almost has to. He’d look like a giant p*ssy if he didn’t run now. He’d look like he was bending the knee to Trump. It would be humiliating.

He’d be finished politically.”
*****************************************************

On the contrary, if he does run against Trump he will be finished politically as far as his running for president is concerned. There are a significant number of Trump supporters who will abandon him if he runs. Enough to cost him the election. And if he runs and loses, that will likely end his political future (outside of Florida anyway). Does he really want to take that risk, or take the safer choice of waiting for ‘28?


63 posted on 02/08/2023 12:57:23 PM PST by jimwatx
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To: frnewsjunkie

Ok, what then if DeSantis doesn’t run, then Trump cannot run, for whatever reason, who is left?


64 posted on 02/08/2023 12:58:45 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: wiseprince
although Rush never really went after Trump he knew what conservatives wanted and it wasn’t Trump

That right there is load of dung. BS.

65 posted on 02/08/2023 12:59:26 PM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: dware

The issue is not that DeSantis is above criticism, the issue is that Trump attacks on him are petty, mean-spirited, and personal, none of them are issues based. They are, exactly what DeSantis called it, “smears”.

If Trump wants to say DeSantis would not make a good conservative president because of his certain actions as governor, he can go right ahead and no one on FR would think less of him.

But the petty personal stuff needs to stop.


66 posted on 02/08/2023 1:00:32 PM PST by Truthsearcher
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To: Responsibility2nd

This


67 posted on 02/08/2023 1:00:33 PM PST by Mom MD ( )
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To: dfwgator; EasySt; thinden

:: And now Ben is at UF, where he belongs ::

Let me correct that for you...

“And now Ben is at UF, where Jeb can keep on eye on both him \and\ Ron.”
Jeb is a Bush and has been assigned to be their handler.
Change my mind.


68 posted on 02/08/2023 1:00:47 PM PST by Cletus.D.Yokel (Machine-gun jumblies. How'd I miss that? - Austin Powers 2)
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To: Republican in occupied CA

Exactly.

He has a lifelong history of demeaning women, in words and actions.

He certainly does not care about the dignity of women.

He is and has always been a spoiled, narcissistic loudmouth.


69 posted on 02/08/2023 1:01:04 PM PST by miserare ( Impeach Joe Biden!)
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To: Drew68
I just hire others to do it.


70 posted on 02/08/2023 1:01:43 PM PST by conservative98
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To: Drew68
New York Times dredged back up in November 2020 before the election.

New York Times dredged back up in November 2022 before the election.

Typo.

71 posted on 02/08/2023 1:02:11 PM PST by Drew68 (Ron DeSantis for President 2024)
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To: Joe Brower

I know exactly what’s at stake. We already know what Trump is capable of on the conservative side. What he can accomplish even in the face of 2 bogus impeachments, a pandemic, and a bogus special council.

DeSantis....not so much. Being anti-woke in a red state isn’t exactly breaking conservative ceilings. Let’s give this some time and see what unfolds. It’s like there are so many closet linguini-spined Trump supporters that were just waiting for an excuse to dump Trump...and that excuse is DeSantis. Good luck with that.


72 posted on 02/08/2023 1:03:23 PM PST by BuckeyeGOP ( )
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To: BuckeyeGOP

I have looked into every corner on who Trump is...before his first election.. I wanted to know the man who they were trashing even before he came out and then won.

Yes, he liked women... and yes, he is sometimes full of himself. That is the way of some... it’s a gene and a habit.... get over it!
I didn’t see anything wrong to not for him.. I liked a lot more than there was anti... He helped every person who ever needed it and asked or he found out... he used his plane to take more than one child to a hospital.. he never turned down nor was too busy to help anyone.
He has 5 kids who respect him and they them. That is not an easy task.
He welcomes God into his living quarters... He has been prayed with and over with head bowed. He loves this country and he loves the people.
HE didn’t have to leave his comfortable life and run into a buzzsaw.. but he did. He is about the only one in Washington that I trust.
He has proven that he can do the job just fine and I like the way he does it. We need a street sweeper to wipe out the biden effect.. I want Trump back for another great time and You can take it to the bank!!


73 posted on 02/08/2023 1:04:46 PM PST by frnewsjunkie
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To: BuckeyeGOP

A 22 year old single guy having a beer with some eighteen year old girls.

Mammy, get the smelling salts!!


74 posted on 02/08/2023 1:07:16 PM PST by miserare ( Impeach Joe Biden!)
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To: Drew68

As a Day One original Trump supporter , I do not appreciate or approve of Trump’s recent attack on DeSantis, who is himself one of the few great hopes of this nation. Make common cause , alliance , would be far better. There’s got to be a way . United we conquer


75 posted on 02/08/2023 1:07:55 PM PST by LeoWindhorse
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To: aMorePerfectUnion

The Reagan Rule passed into history in 1987.
Now, the only ones who mention it are Deep State loyalists, the Kinder Gentler crowd and Dubya fanbois.

The Democrats use that as a hammer to help get Billy Jeff elected.
The Democrats don’t GAS about nicey-nice politics.
We shouldn’t either, now that we are ruled by the Uniparty.


76 posted on 02/08/2023 1:08:02 PM PST by Cletus.D.Yokel (Machine-gun jumblies. How'd I miss that? - Austin Powers 2)
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To: frnewsjunkie
I want to see Trump finish the last step in this mess... fire those turncoats and those playing like they are the ultimate law force in the country!

Fire them?!? I would be happy if he would stop endorsing and supporting them!

Trump is his own worst enemy. Imagine where we would be if he had appointed a decent attorney general. Secretary of Defense. FBI director.

Trump's few good appointments are most notable for their rarity.

77 posted on 02/08/2023 1:08:30 PM PST by hopespringseternal
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To: jimwatx
There are a significant number of Trump supporters who will abandon him if he runs.

Not really. A few, sure, but not enough to turn the election, especially considering DeSantis will bring in more voters from the independent middle (who loathe Trump) than he loses from butthurt Trump voters.

Kemp brought home the MAGA vote even after bucking Trump and seeing Trump endorse Stacey Abrams.

DeSantis will do the same.

If he doesn't run now, he loses his momentum. DeSantis will never have higher value than he has right now and history has not been kind to people who pass up their chance.

78 posted on 02/08/2023 1:09:05 PM PST by Drew68 (Ron DeSantis for President 2024)
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To: Thilly Thailor

“ Trump is breaking the Reagan Rule.”

Did Reagan go after fellow republicans in the primary?

Pay attention. Trump is telling you this guy is no good for you. Trump works for us. DeSantis doesn’t.

DeSantis got busted yesterday on two things-

Partying with his female students some years ago there are photos

And schmoozing some people he should not be schmoozing and still want to be in the running.


79 posted on 02/08/2023 1:09:29 PM PST by stanne
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To: dfwgator

Trump will run.. he is no quitter... he stays the course... he not only stayed through the 4 years of attacks.. he is in the game still... for another term...

I like DeSantis for the next one.. just do not mess with trying to get Trump to quit... that would give the left and the media so much joy!.. don’t fight in our own team... it isn’t needed and it loses votes.


80 posted on 02/08/2023 1:09:30 PM PST by frnewsjunkie
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