As RedState previously reported, though a journalist tried to politicize Hurricane Idalia Wednesday by asking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis what his thoughts were on Donald Trump’s silence on the impending storm despite the fact that it, too, was his home state, DeSantis was quick to shut it down, noting his priorities revolved around the safety of Florida residents and not politics.
But while the reporter’s question was inappropriate considering the setting (Idalia was close to making landfall at that time), it is one that was also being asked on social media along with questions about whether it was right or wrong for Trump to be attacking DeSantis earlier this week knowing DeSantis’ focus understandably would not be on campaigning.
Videos the former President posted to Truth Social Thursday afternoon as DeSantis toured the state and comforted residents will only make those questions grow louder.
In three separate Truth Social posts posted within 15 minutes of each other, Trump attacked DeSantis over his poll numbers and what Trump said in so many words was DeSantis’ alleged mismanagement of the same state that Trump did not comment on prior to Idalia making landfall.
“We will no longer neglect the growing problems the people of Florida are facing here in our wonderful beautiful home state,” Trump claimed in this video, alleging an “insurance market meltdown” soaring “electricity prices,” and rising crime in Democrat-run cities. In the same video, Trump predicted his campaign would easily win the Florida primary.
In another, Trump jabbed “Ron DeSanctimonious” for “really bad polling in Florida” and suggested DeSantis, who again was fully focused on Florida as Trump spent time on Truth Social talking about everything but, “spend more time in Florida” instead of running for president. Trump compared DeSantis’ campaign to the failed 2016 presidential campaign of former NJ Gov. Chris Christie.
DeSantis “is no longer even popular” in the Sunshine State, Trump declared without evidence, saying “it took a little time” but that the “people in Florida finally figured him out,” though Trump left out DeSantis’ history-making victory from last fall in his gubernatorial reelection campaign.
In a third clip, Trump raged about how DeSantis sometimes referenced the number of votes he (DeSantis) got in the last election, claiming that he (Trump) had actually gotten more votes in the state than DeSantis ever had.
He then went on a rant about how he was allegedly responsible for DeSantis’ rise in politics but that DeSantis had “forgotten about it.” Trump also said that “a lot of things are not really working in Florida because all he’s doing is campaigning. People elected him to be the governor, not to be a campaign horse.”
Trump went on to predict that DeSantis’ poll numbers would fall because “to really win you have to have personality, and Ron doesn’t have that.”
“But most importantly he doesn’t have loyalty,” Trump stated, echoing comments he’s made before about DeSantis running for president and how it was supposedly disloyal because Trump was also running. “And I believe that’s why he’s losing.”
While Trump may think he’s helping his cause by not letting up on DeSantis in the midst of a hurricane and its aftermath, a new report suggests that the tactic is already backfiring:
In Idalia’s aftermath, DeSantis took the national TV spotlight away from Trump, earning $17m in media to Trump’s $10m
DeSantis coverage was favorable while Trump posted about everything but the storm on Truth Social
They noticed in Iowa. So did donors https://t.co/HtEFiIwYpw
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) August 31, 2023
So it looks like on the question about whether it’s right or wrong for Trump to continue making campaign boasts and hitting out at DeSantis while he is not in a position to match swords, the answer in the eyes of some of the voters and donors who potentially could help propel whoever the next GOP nominee is to the White House, we might have our answer.
