WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) took aim at former President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley during a protested televised town hall, one of his last platforms to speak directly to likely Iowa caucusgoers before next week’s opening 2024 Republican primary nominating contest.
Using a question about Trump’s appearance in a federal appeals court Tuesday regarding special counsel Jack Smith‘s election interference case and presidential immunity, DeSantis predicted the “liberal” Washington, D.C., court would “hot-wire” its decision against the former president, but he urged Republican primary voters to consider what that means for the general election.
“We have an opportunity to choose what we want the election to be about,” DeSantis said during the Fox News forum.
DeSantis, who was briefly interrupted at one stage by climate activists, also stoked speculation President Joe Biden would not seek reelection later this year because of his age.
“This guy is a few fries short of a Happy Meal,” he said. “That’s just the reality, OK. I see [that], most Americans see that.”
During the hourlong TV event, DeSantis reiterated his position that U.S. Special Operations Forces should be deployed to the southern border to take action against drug cartels, including with deadly force.
“Rules of engagement. Let it rip,” he said. “That’s absolutely appropriate to be able… to defend your country.”
DeSantis’s town hall started with a foreign policy question concerning Biden’s response to Hamas‘s Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel, with the governor pledging to support the U.S. ally in public and private. DeSantis additionally reacted to Haley describing him this week as an isolationist as the number of Republicans backing more funding for Ukraine‘s defense erodes, and he criticized her for telling New Hampshire voters last week they would have to “correct” Iowa’s caucus decision on Jan. 15, presuming she will not win the state. He cited other priorities, for example, immigration and China.
“If I could snap my fingers, I [would give] all of that territory back to Ukraine,” he said. “At the same time, they’re sending your money to do things like pay salaries for Ukrainian bureaucrats.”
DeSantis, too, made the point of speaking about his wife Casey and their three children as he attempts to broaden his appeal, mentioning how their young Florida-born brood had never seen snow before last month.
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DeSantis returned to Iowa Tuesday after delivering his State of the State in Tallahassee, Florida, earlier in the day, during which he condemned Biden for the crisis at the border.
“We can’t just sit idly by while we continue to see a massive invasion across this country,” he said. “The federal government’s not doing anything to stop this; we in Florida are picking up the slack.”
