WASHINGTON – A once-invisible primary battle is finally starting to come into sharp focus: Ron DeSantis is fighting back against Donald Trump.
After months of brushing off Trump’s frequent attacks , DeSantis used this week’s post-announcement tour of early contest states to clap back at the front-runner who has expanded his lead over the Florida governor and other Republican candidates in recent months.
“I think that his conduct – which he’s been doing for years now – I think that’s one of the reasons he’s not in the White House now,” DeSantis told radio host Jack Heath during a tour of New Hampshire, site of the first Republican primary.
For months, Trump hasn’t faced much offense from DeSantis and other Republican candidates, most of whom do not want to alienate his large mass of base voters.
Now it’s game on, at least as far as DeSantis is concerned. He made that very visible in a round of talk show hits after his announcement and this week’s trips to Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, the states that will host the first Republican delegate contests in 2024.
Trump also made clear that he will maintain an aggressive posture against any candidate who dares criticize him – especially DeSantis, who is his closest competitor in a variety of Republican polls.
Asked about the size of the Republican field, Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity: “That’s a good thing, isn’t it? I think, pretty good. But I don’t think it matters. I don’t know why people are doing it.”
Now that he’s in the race to stay, DeSantis said he has no choice to respond to Trump, when asked.
“So, look, I’m going to respond to attacks,” DeSantis told reporters in Iowa. “I’m gonna counter-punch and I’m gonna fight back on it.”
DeSantis is more reticent about Trump on the stump. As he did during the “invisible campaign” earlier this year, he does not mention Trump by name in campaign speeches, but does make negative references to his record and legal situation.
For example, DeSantis says he will need two terms – eight years – in the White House to fully address problems wrought by the bureaucracy and big government. “It really does take two terms as president to be able to finish this job,” DeSantis said in the stump speech he echoed throughout his recent trip.
DeSantis: Counter-punchingBefore he officially became a candidate, DeSantis avoided responding to Trump’s frequent barbs, calling them “background noise” and saying he was focused on his job as governor of Florida.
