Ron DeSantis

Trump furious at Sarah Huckabee Sanders over lack of endorsement: report

Donald Trump is reportedly furious at Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders for withholding her endorsement for his 2024 campaign.

The former president is frustrated that his former White House press secretary's team told his campaign until after her first legislative session in Arkansas, which ended in May, but she still hasn't publicly backed his re-election bid, two sources told Axios.

Keep reading... Show less

'Worst answer I've ever heard': Republican buries DeSantis' response to question about Trump crimes

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis this week gave a rambling and evasive response when CNN's Jake Tapper asked him if former President Donald Trump should face charges if there is compelling evidence that he committed crimes.

Instead of addressing the issue directly, DeSantis accused Democrats of "criminalizing political differences" and of weaponizing the Department of Justice, ranted about special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the 2016 Trump campaign's contacts with Russian agents, and finished off by saying it was time to look forward and not back to what happened in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.

Keep reading... Show less

Embattled DeSantis tries to hit reset in interview overshadowed by Trump

Florida's Governor Ron DeSantis sought to reset his floundering US presidential bid Tuesday with his first major interview outside of conservative media, an effort largely overshadowed by the legal woes of Republican primary front-runner Donald Trump.

Minutes before DeSantis was due to sit down with CNN, Trump announced he was expecting to be indicted for a third time, this time as part of the federal probe into his role in efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

Keep reading... Show less

DeSantis Super PAC Uses AI to 'give voice to Trump's words' on Truth Social

A super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis presidential campaign released a 30-second attack ad today in which Donald Trump’s voice was created by artificial intelligence (AI), the Hill reported Tuesday.

The ad from the Never Back Down PAC praised popular Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds as “a conservative champion (who) signed the heartbeat bill and stands up for Iowans every day.” It then posed the question, “Why is Donald Trump attacking her?”

Keep reading... Show less

Trump's allies are 'generals' of the insurrection — and deserve charges for it: Rep. Zoe Lofgren

Over 1,000 people have been charged so far in connection with the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, with charges ranging from misdemeanor unlawful picketing and trespassing, to felony assaults on police officers, to seditious conspiracy. One of the defendants is even a former defendant from the Charlottesville "Unite the Right" neo-Nazi rally.

But former President Donald Trump and his immediate allies who pushed for people to gather in D.C. over baseless election conspiracy theories haven't been charged yet — even though it may be coming. And speaking to anchor Jake Tapper on CNN Tuesday, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) outlined why it's important that happen.

Keep reading... Show less

Florida aided Texas’ border security initiative under scrutiny for ‘inhumane’ actions

Gov. Ron DeSantis has spent millions of dollars this year tosupport Texas in deterring migrants from entering the country through its border security initiative. Now, some of those efforts are coming under scrutiny amid reports that Texas officers were ordered to push small children and nursing babies back into the Rio Grande. On July 3, a state trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety reported actions taken as part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star had veered into the “in humane (sic),” according to emails reviewed by the Herald/Times andfirst reported by the Houston C...

'Ron DePudding': Social media explodes over DeSantis 'pudding' reference in CNN interview

Ron DeSantis made an unfortunate reference during a CNN interview that aired Tuesday, and social media pounced.

The Florida governor said in response to a question from CNN’s Jake Tapper about his electability that “the proof is in the pudding.”

DeSantis earlier this year made headlines after The Daily Beast reported that the Florida governor during a private flight ate pudding with his fingers.

The report provided fodder for late-night comics and prompted a Donald Trump campaign ad mocking DeSantis over his silverware-averse eating style.

Keep reading... Show less

Former prosecutor warns Republicans defending Trump: ‘Evidence will be much stronger than people are anticipating’

Law professor and former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance is warning Republicans, namely GOP presidential candidates, to think twice before going all-in on defending Donald Trump. The ex-president announced just hours ago announced he has been informed he is a “target” in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s grand jury investigation into his alleged actions attempting to overturn the 2020 election, including the events surrounding the January 6 insurrection.

Trump has not been arrested or indicted, although he said he fully expects to be shortly.

Keep reading... Show less

DeSantis’ latest policy plan, this time on the military, again focuses on ‘woke’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled a sweeping plan on Tuesday to “rip the woke out of the military” and restore a “mission first” vision for American servicemembers, claiming that liberal political and social agendas had weakened the country’s ability to defend itself. Speaking in Columbia, S.C., DeSantis vowed to reinstate U.S. service members who refused to comply with a coronavirus vaccine mandate, saying that the military erred in requiring its members to receive the vaccine. He also promised to rid the military of a long list of policies and priorities, including diversity and inclusion e...

DeSantis says Trump should have ‘come out more forcefully’ against Jan. 6 rioters

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said that former President Donald Trump should have “come out more forcefully” against the rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but rejected the notion that Trump should face criminal charges for his behavior on that day. DeSantis’ remarks at a press conference in Columbia, S.C. came shortly after Trump said that he had received a letter from Special Counsel Jack Smith informing him that he is a target of a grand jury investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection — a sign that he’s likely to be indicted in the probe. Asked about Trump’s announ...

'Methodical' prosecutor Fani Willis moves closer to likely Trump indictment: 'I refuse to fail'

Donald Trump has the distinction of being the first former president in U.S. history who is battling federal and state criminal charges while trying to get back in the White House.

So far, Trump has been the clear frontrunner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, leading Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by 39 percent in I&I/TIPP and Morning Consult polls released this month. His legal problems are not hurting him among Republican primary voters, many of whom view the prosecutions as politically motivated.

Keep reading... Show less

'Comically awful' DeSantis campaign could hold key to finding a Trump alternative: columnist

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' campaign, announced after much fanfare and hype from Republican donors and strategists who were hoping for a serious challenge to former President Donald Trump, has gone disastrously; DeSantis has been mired 30 points behind Trump, has struggled to connect organically with voters, is blowing through campaign funds as fast as he can raise them, and is now conducting layoffs and restructuring of his whole operation.

All of this should be a cautionary tale for Republicans, wrote Jennifer Rubin for The Washington Post — and a blueprint for how they could possibly do a better job of fielding a Trump alternative.

Keep reading... Show less

'Exactly what fascists would do': Morning Joe and Mika blast Trump's 'authoritarian' plans

Donald Trump is scheming to consolidate power under an obscure legal theory if he's re-elected to a second term, and MSNBC's Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski described the plot as "fascist."

The former president and his allies are planning to reorganize the executive branch to give him unprecedented power in a potential second term, and the "Morning Joe" co-hosts expressed grave concerns about his plans to stack the government with loyalists and sycophants.

Keep reading... Show less