Staff Reports
Donald Trump is planning on making Florida Governor Ron DeSantis' response to COVID an attack line against his potential 2024 opponent. However, this strategy could backfire, according to Republican operatives.
In November, Trump called out Ron DeSantis for his "DeSanctimonious" behavior. He also claimed that a DeSantis run would hurt the Republican base. After launching his campaign over the weekend in New Hampshire and South Carolina, Trump unveiled a new line of attack.
On his social media platform, Trump noted that Ron DeSanctimonious, who was a Republican governor of Florida, did "far worse" than other governors. He also claimed that DeSanctimonious would "unapologetically" close down the state's beaches.
According to Republican operatives, the focus of the attack could come back to haunt Trump due to how DeSantis handled the response to the COVID situation. They also noted that the line of attack was too subtle.
The criticism of DeSantis' response to COVID was also perceived as an attempt to distract from his political success, which is evidenced by the state's economic growth and success under his leadership. Alex Vogel, a Republican consultant, noted that attacking one's rivals on issues is not an effective strategy.
On Wednesday, DeSantis responded to a question from Henry Rodgers of the Daily Caller. He focused on his re-election bid and not Trump.
When asked about the negative attacks that have been directed at him, DeSantis noted that it has been happening for a long time. He said that as an elected official, he has to make all kinds of choices. However, he noted that the people can still make a decision regarding his re-election.
According to Jason Roe, a Republican strategist, Trump's strategy is going to "fall flat."
He noted that Trump is trying to attack one of DeSantis' strengths by going after him for how he handled the COVID situation. This strategy, according to Roe, is part of Trump's strategy to define his opponents before they can define themselves.
Ron Desantis responds to a question by @henryrodgersdc on recent criticism he's received from Donald Trump:
"People are able to render a judgment on that, whether they re-elect you or not…that verdict has been rendered by the people of the state of Florida." pic.twitter.com/15Ez0SHoSU
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 31, 2023
Trump's main criticism of DeSantis' handling of the COVID situation is that Florida was closed for a significant amount of time. According to Trump, DeSantis changed his position on vaccines.
A Republican operative noted that Trump was focusing on COVID-19 due to how DeSantis, as well as other state and local officials, made decisions that led to the school closures and lockdowns.
The Daily Caller was able to provide anonymity to some of the Republican operatives who are close to Trump. They were able to speak about their concerns openly.
In March of 2020, DeSantis issued an Executive Order that prohibited the activities of bars, nightclubs, and other similar establishments in the state. He also imposed strict travel restrictions. In September of that year, he reversed his policies and permitted the establishments to reopen.
One of the Republican operatives noted that the entire campaign of DeSantis is based on the idea that he was against the mandates and lockdowns. He said that this is a complete and utter lie. During the fall of 2020, for instance, people in Florida were still required to wear a mask when going to the gym.
Trump's argument that DeSantis' decision to rescind the restrictions was made in the fall is not correct, according to Roe. He said that the people would have responded in a more meaningful manner if the restrictions were lifted during the summer.
During the early stages of the pandemic, Trump called for longer lockdowns. He criticized Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp, for quickly reopening the state. He also noted that people could wait a little longer before they could access certain services.
Amy Tarkanian, a former Republican Party official in Nevada, called Trump's criticism of the COVID-19 situation immature and disingenuous.
She noted that Trump and other officials were given a pass during the initial stages of the pandemic. However, they did not handle the situation properly. She said that Trump's criticism of Florida's governor, who has not yet announced his intention to run for president, is immature and will backfire on him.
Back in the past, Trump praised the handling of the COVID issue by DeSantis. However, since the recent polls have shown that the public is dissatisfied with the current leadership, Trump has been criticizing the Florida governor.
In a podcast episode that was released in January 2022, DeSantis criticized Trump for his criticism of the lockdowns. He noted that Trump and other officials panicked when the pandemic started.
A third operative close to Trump praised the former president for defending Americans during the course of the pandemic.
An operative noted that Trump did a great job during the course of the pandemic. He defended the American people from what he referred to as the swamp, and he allowed states to implement their own rescue plans.
In May 2021, DeSantis encouraged people to get vaccinated to protect themselves. However, since then, he has not supported the idea and refused to say if he was boosted by the vaccination initiative. In December of that year, he asked the Supreme Court of Florida to investigate the rollout of the vaccine in the state.
Despite his criticism of the vaccination initiative, Trump has maintained that he was right about the rollout of the vaccine. He also noted that DeSantis was being gutless by not releasing information about his own vaccination status.
One of Trump's most prominent Republican supporters noted that despite his criticism of the vaccination initiative, the president would not stop promoting the success of the vaccine. He is also free to launch a campaign against senior citizens if he wants.
A Republican operative noted that Trump will likely respond to DeSantis' criticism of the vaccine by labeling him as a hypocrite for promoting the idea for years. He said that by constantly attacking the former president, DeSantis is trying to make himself look like he is someone who is different from Trump.
DeSantis’ communications team did not immediately respond to an inquiry from the Daily Caller.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on DAILY CALLER.
