CLIVE, Iowa — Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) criticized former President Donald Trump for attacking him on his COVID-19 record, the pair escalating their rhetoric now the governor is contesting the 2024 Republican nomination.
“I’m going to respond to attacks,” he told reporters Tuesday in Clive after his first in-person event in the early voting state as a candidate.
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DeSantis particularly complained about Trump claiming former New York Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo managed the pandemic better than he did, describing the former president’s comments as “bizarre” and “ridiculous.”
“If someone is saying that, I am going to, I’m going to counterpunch,” the governor said. “I’m going to fight back on it. I’m going to focus my fire on [President Joe] Biden, and I think he should do the same. He gives Biden a free pass.”
“We’re proud of what we’ve been able to do in our state,” he added. “We won the biggest election landslide that Florida Republicans have ever won, and did he ever say anything like, ‘Attaboy, good job’? No, he attacked me three days before the midterm election, and then he started attacking after that.”
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DeSantis also directly and indirectly scrutinized Biden during his earlier address and the press conference afterward, at one point referring to the president’s age and physical abilities.
“As president, I pledge to be an energetic executive that will take these important issues head on and deliver results,” he said.
