Trump trashes Ron DeSantis and his leadership of Florida in new statement

In a new statement on Wednesday, former President Donald Trump took one of his fiercest swipes at Ron DeSantis yet, attacking his leadership as governor of Florida.

"Now that Ron DeSanctimonious is finally admitting he’s in the Race by beginning to fight back, and now that his Polls have crashed so he has no other choice, let me explain the facts," wrote Trump. "He is, for a Republican, an average Governor, he got 1.2 million less Votes in Florida than me, he fought for massive cuts in Social Security and Medicare, and wanted Social Security minimum age to be raised to 70-years-old, or more. He is a disciple of Paul Ryan, and did whatever Ryan told him to do."

Trump went on to say that while Florida "has been successful for many years, long before I put Ron there—It’s amazing what Ocean and Sunshine will do!" DeSantis has been mediocre on crucial issues.

"In Education, Florida ranks among the worst in the Country and on crime statistics, Florida ranked Third Worst in Murder, Third Worst in Rape, and Third Worst in Aggravated Assault," wrote Trump. "For 2022, Jacksonville was ranked as one of the Top 25 Major Crime Cities in the Country, with Tampa and Orlando not doing much better. On Education, Florida ranks #39 in Health & Safety in the Country, #50 in Affordability, and #30 in Education & Childcare, HARDLY GREATNESS THERE!"

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This comes at a moment when DeSantis, like other Republicans, is accusing New York prosecutors of ignoring crime to focus on the bookkeeping fraud case against Trump.

"The fact is, Ron is an average Governor, but the best by far in the Country in one category, Public Relations, where he easily ranks Number One — But it is all a Mirage, just look at the facts and figures, they don’t lie," Trump concluded. "And we don’t want Ron as our President!"

A recent poll by Monmouth University found that DeSantis, who has not yet formally declared a presidential run but is widely expected to, has now slipped behind Trump among 2024 primary voters after previously holding a lead.