Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed exasperation at former President Donald Trump’s insults during a Friday town hall in New Hampshire.
The moderator asked DeSantis how he would respond if Trump began to attack and demean him during a debate. DeSantis argued that he believes name-calling is beneath the dignity of the Oval Office. (RELATED: Joe Rogan Says Ron DeSantis Is ‘F*cking’ Up His Florida Record, ‘Can’t Beat’ Trump)
“So here’s the thing. These insults are so phony. These insults are juvenile. That is not the way a great nation should be conducting itself. That is not the way the president of the United States should be conducting himself.”
He argued that he would rather spend time debating “the issues” than be derailed into a series of personal attacks.
Asked about Trump’s potential insults on the debate stage, DeSantis says:
“these insults are juvenile. That is not the way a great nation should be conducting itself. That is not the way the president of the United States should be conducting himself”
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) August 5, 2023
“I’m not going to insult somebody, somebody’s looks, or somebody’s dress, or something like that. I wouldn’t teach my kids to treat people like that,” he said.
DeSantis argued that although he supported Trump, he has differences with him.
“He said he was going to drain the swamp. He did not drain the swamp, not even close. We ended his presidency with Anthony Fauci running the country. You couldn’t even fire Fauci? And so now you’re going to go drain the swamp? Give me a break,” DeSantis said.
“He said Mexico was going to pay for the border wall. Do you see the border secured? I see people coming ad infinitum. He said he was gonna lock Hillary up, just like he’s now saying he’s going to do a special counsel for Biden,” DeSantis added.
The Republican hopeful also slammed Trump’s spending, claiming that he added $8 trillion to the country’s debt and did not fulfill his promise to “eliminate the national debt.”
“He’s done more in four years than any president has ever done to expand it. That’s the record we should talk about,” he added.
He warned Republicans not to engage in behavior and antics that would turn off moderate voters.
“That will cause us to lose if we behave that way,” he said.
He said these voters may not like the direction America is headed in, but are not willing to vote for a candidate like Trump.
“There are millions of voters out there who do not like what Biden is doing to this country. They do not like the direction the country’s going in. But they aren’t going to sign up for a candidate who’s behaving like that. So let’s be better. Let’s look higher. And let’s set a good standard for our children to follow,” DeSantis said.