Gov. Ron DeSantis‘s (R-FL) campaign is hitting former President Donald Trump for his “pathetic cleanup attempt” regarding comments he made that some claim complimented Hezbollah.
Trump called Hezbollah, a Lebanese terrorist group, “very smart” during a rally with supporters in Florida on Wednesday, a comment that has been slammed by DeSantis and other 2024 Republican presidential candidates as the war continues to rage in Israel.
Trump War Room later put out a statement Wednesday night that the former president was “clearly pointing out how incompetent Biden and his administration.”
“Smart does not equal good. It just proves Biden is stupid,” Trump’s team said.
DeSantis’s campaign came back with a statement on Thursday blasting the Trump campaign for its “rhetorical gymnastics.”
“No matter what rhetorical gymnastics act his campaign team tries to perform to attempt to once again cover for him, nobody can change the fact that last night Donald Trump showed his true colors by insulting Israelis during one of their darkest hours and simultaneously complimenting one of the terrorist groups that continue to pose a grave threat to Israelis and Americans alike. It is disturbing and disqualifying,” communications director Andrew Romeo said.
President Trump was clearly pointing out how incompetent Biden and his administration were by telegraphing to the terrorists an area that is susceptible to an attack. Smart does not equal good. It just proves Biden is stupid. And now you look stupid, Ron. https://t.co/yYpZ9oJbGe
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 12, 2023
Other candidates have come out against Trump’s comments. The tellitPAC, which supports former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, wrote on X that Trump is a “fool.”
“Only a fool would praise Hezbollah as ‘smart.’ Donald Trump does not care about the American people, not about the people of Israel, but he cares about one person, and one person only, the man he sees in the mirror,” the PAC wrote.
Donald Trump is a fool – only a fool would praise Hezbollah as “smart.”
Donald Trump does not care about the American people, not about the people of Israel, but he cares about one person, and one person only, the man he sees in the mirror.
We as the Republican Party cannot… pic.twitter.com/6ZSHj6U8K5
— tellitPAC (@tellitPAC) October 12, 2023
A senior U.S. official earlier this week told reporters that the Pentagon was concerned about another front entering the conflict, such as Hezbollah.
Trump said, “Two nights ago I read all of Biden’s security people … they said, ‘Gee, I hope Hezbollah doesn’t attack from the north, because that’s the most vulnerable spot.’ I said, ‘Wait a minute. You know, Hezbollah is very smart.’ They’re all very smart.” He added that “the press doesn’t like when” he says things like that, as he has when praising the effectiveness of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“[Israel] have a national defense minister. … If you listen to this jerk, you would attack from the north because he said that’s our weak spot,” Trump added, referring to Yoav Gallant.
The former president issued a statement Thursday night following DeSantis’s, touting the Trump administration’s work.
“There was no better friend or ally of Israel than President Donald J. Trump,” he said. “Under my leadership, the United States stood in complete solidarity with Israel, and as a result, Israel was safe, America was safe, and for the first time in decades, we made historic strides for Peace in the Middle East.”
Trump knocked President Joe Biden for the deal he made with Iran that unfroze $6 billion of Iranian funds in exchange for prisoners.
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“Crooked Joe Biden’s weakness and incompetence has empowered and emboldened our enemies all over the World, and now, many lives have been so needlessly lost. What a horrible failure Biden has been in sending 6 Billion Dollars to Iran, in a simple hostage swap, when Iran is the state sponsor of terrorist groups, Hamas, Hezbollah, and others.
“When I was President, and exclusively because of me, Iran was BROKE, and wanting to make a deal,” Trump continued. “No wonder the World is in absolute chaos! With President Trump back in office, Israel, and everyone else, will be SAFE AGAIN!”
