President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign team attacked Florida governor Ron DeSantis and criticized his leadership skills on Friday for making the state “one of the worst states” to live and raise a family.
Steven Cheung, in a campaign email, blasted the Florida Republican during a day when Trump gave a speech — and handed out a slice of pizza — in Fort Myers.
“The real DeSantis record is one of misery and despair,” Cheung said in an email detailed by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
“He has wreaked havoc all over Florida and people are sick because he has spent more time playing public relations games than doing the hard work needed to improve the lives of the people he represents.”
The campaign’s message, titled “The Real Ron DeSantis Playbook,” continued to hammer the Florida governor with a list of points related to the state being “the worst.”
“Under Ron DeSantis, Florida has become one of the worst states … to live … to find economic opportunity … to work … to retire … to raise a family … to pay taxes … to be safe … to rent house … have a baby … get energy … die … become a teacher … become a doctor … become a police officer … for millennials … for working dads [and] for working mothers,” the email read.
Trump, who owns property in Mar-a-Lago and spoke at the Florida Lee County GOP dinner on Friday, mocked DeSantis for his endorsement request and celebrated his position in the polls against the governor, Florida Politics noted.
The former president has, on Friday, remained above DeSantis in the endorsement department as a potential primary battle between the two heats up.
Trump has collected endorsements from nine senators and 48 members of the House of Representatives on Friday including, as NBC News noted, “more than half of the Florida Republicans serving in the House.”
DeSantis has now seen three endorsements in Congress including one from Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.), former Secretary of State in the administration.
Trump is maintaining DeSantis’ lead in the polls, too, as a recent Wall Street Journal poll shows him at 48% compared to the Florida governor’s 24% among GOP primary voters.