Ron DeSantis has claimed he will be the true “America First” president and warned that Donald Trump would be a “lame duck” on day one if he wins the White House.
The 45-year-old Florida governor boasted in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday that, unlike Trump, he could serve two terms as president.
DeSantis insisted that he did better than his counterpart in his last campaign and that if elected he would have a “much better chance” of actually implementing his policy goals.
He criticized the former president for not attending the Republican primary debate, saying he “owed it to the people to be there.”
The politician also repeated his threat to use lethal force against cartels smuggling drugs across the chaotic border.
Ron DeSantis claimed he would be the true “America First” president and warned that Donald Trump would be a “lame duck” on day one if he won the White House
The 45-year-old Florida governor boasted in an interview with ABC News on Wednesday that, unlike Trump (pictured at a rally in Iowa), he could serve two terms as president
The politician also repeated his threat to use lethal force against cartels smuggling drugs across the chaotic border
DeSantis was asked to differentiate himself from Trump, and he began by pointing to their different upbringings.
“I’m a working-class kid who had to work minimum wage jobs to get where I was,” he said.
“I could serve two terms.” He would be a lame duck on day one. I ran 16 points better than him in my last race in Florida than he did in his last race.
“I’ve also implemented these ‘America First’ policies more than I think anyone in the country has, and as president I would have a much better chance of actually implementing all of this.”
“So I think there’s a lot of things for people to look at, but I’ll be there.”
Former President Trump is expected to be absent from next week’s Republican primary debate in California after skipping the first in Milwaukee in favor of an interview with Tucker Carlson.
But DeSantis criticized his rival for not showing up. “Well, first of all, he owes it to the people to be there. “He owes it to the people to champion his cause and defend his record,” he said.
“You just can’t face these things.”
Florida’s governor has advocated shooting cartel members who try to smuggle drugs across the border – but this has been rejected amid concerns about the large number of other migrants trying to cross the border.
DeSantis insisted that he did better than his counterpart in his last campaign and that if elected he would have a “much better chance” of actually implementing his policy goals
He criticized former President Trump for not attending the Republican primary debate, saying he “owed it to the people to be there.”
Florida’s governor has advocated shooting cartel members who try to smuggle drugs across the border – but this has been rejected amid concerns about the large number of other migrants trying to cross the border
But DeSantis claimed U.S. forces could tell the difference between a drug smuggler and an ordinary migrant.
“In the same way, you would recognize everything,” he said.
“For example, I served in Iraq back then. Al-Qaeda did not wear uniforms. You know, the typical Arab man would have worn the man’s dress.
“They didn’t know whether they were carrying a bomb or not. They carry around the AK-47 like normal civilians would, so you can’t even tell if they did it.
“So you had to make a decision – can you clearly identify someone as hostile, whether through hostile actions or hostile intentions?”
“And then you do it like anyone would do, even in the United States. “So if you do that, we will collect information.”
He was asked if a military presence on the border was a “recipe for chaos” and he replied: “Right now the recipe is for chaos.” “What is happening in this country is a problem.”
DeSantis also downplayed the role of wealthy donors in his campaign after Citadel CEO Ken Griffin said he would not run in the 2024 presidential primary.
“I’m a leader, I’m not a follower,” he said. “So we go forward and do what we think is right, and people may or may not support us financially.”
“But you shouldn’t be guided by pleasing very wealthy donors, and I’ve never done that.”
The second Republican primary debate will take place at 9 p.m. on September 27 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
DeSantis will try to win over primary voters and win the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination.