Trump says DeSantis should 'get on a plane and go back to Florida today'
Former President Trump told fellow GOP presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Friday he should “get on a plane and go back to Florida." Each has planned events this weekend in Iowa to campaign ahead of the Hawkeye State's caucuses.
“Ron DeSanctimonious has one minor flaw against the Democrats — He has ZERO personality. If I didn’t endorse him, he would have finished, during the Primary, at 3%,” Trump posted to his Truth Social site. “NO LOYALTY! Bobblehead is now in third place, Jeff Roe has taken all of his money and quit, and he should get on a plane and go back to Florida today.”
Trump’s comments come the morning after DeSantis participated in a town hall event hosted by CNN in Des Moines. DeSantis poked Trump several times throughout the event.
Roe, whom Trump mentioned in his post, was a top strategist for the super PAC linked to DeSantis and left his position last month after a report detailed the inner workings of the PAC.
DeSantis and rival candidate Nikki Haley each participated Thursday in town hall events in Iowa, an opportunity to win over voters in the Hawkeye State just days before the Jan. 15 caucuses.
Fox News will host another set of town hall events Monday and Tuesday in Des Moines for Haley and DeSantis.
Later in the month, CNN will host a pair of Republican presidential primary debates, the first Jan. 10 in Des Moines and the second in Goffstown, N.H., on Jan. 21.
DeSantis, Haley and Trump each qualified for the first CNN debate, but the former president has chosen to participate in his own town hall event on Fox News at the same time instead.
The events will allow the candidates a last chance to sway voters in the critical early voting state. Trump leads with 51.6 percent of the vote, while DeSantis is in second with 18 percent and Haley trails closely behind with 17.1 percent support, The Hill’s partner Decision Desk HQ reports.