Ron DeSantis Sharpens Attacks on Trump

Plus: Republicans split by predictable fault lines in the House debt ceiling fight.

By , and
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Ron DeSantis speaks during his campaign kickoff event at Eternity Church in Clive, Iowa, on Tuesday. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Happy Wednesday! Gary Leffler, a Republican activist from Iowa, told the Washington Post this week he was trying to lure the Trump and DeSantis campaigns into competing for his endorsement. “We don’t really look at it as a bidding war as much as my wife and I are praying and want to make sure we would feel comfortable in the direction,” Leffler said. “We’ve been very up front with both campaigns: We’re not doing it for free.”

Leffler later walked back his comments—but if you’ve got anything else you want to get off your chest, Gary, you know where to find us.

Up to Speed

  • With an early-June deadline fast approaching, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden struck a tentative deal over the weekend to suspend the debt ceiling for two years while curtailing some future federal spending. The bill is expected to pass the House Wednesday, even with some Republican fiscal hawks opposing the deal for not cutting enough.
  • Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will announce his presidential campaign Tuesday at an evening event in New Hampshire, Axios first reported and The Dispatch confirmed. Allies of the governor are standing up a new super PAC, Tell It Like It Is, to support the campaign, which plans to focus its attacks on former President Donald Trump.
  • Ohio Rep. Warren Davidson told supporters Tuesday he plans to seek reelection rather than run for the U.S. Senate.  The conservative Club for Growth had courted Davidson, a member of the House Freedom Caucus. The race to challenge Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown has so far attracted state Sen. Matt Dolan and businessman Bernie Moreno; Secretary of State Frank LaRose has made moves to prepare for a run but has not yet announced.
  • The Texas House voted 121-23 Saturday to impeach state Attorney General Ken Paxton, accusing him of bribery, obstruction of justice, and breach of public trust. A defiant Paxton, who has been suspended pending a Senate trial, accused his impeachers of sabotaging his ongoing legal fights against “Biden’s extremist agenda”; he has retained the support of a number of prominent national Republicans, including former President Donald Trump and fellow Texan Sen. Ted Cruz.

DeSantis Expands Offensive Against Trump

CLIVE, Iowa—Is any Republican going to attack Donald Trump? Ron DeSantis is.

During a news conference in suburban Des Moines Tuesday evening after his first campaign rally as a presidential candidate, DeSantis repeatedly fielded questions about Trump, who has been carpet-bombing his former ally for months. What about Trump’s criticism over DeSantis’ fight with Disney? What about his claim that former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had handled the coronavirus pandemic better than the Florida governor? Did DeSantis hope to win evangelicals away from Trump?

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  1. Avatar photo
    Magpie

    “Everyone knows if I’m the nominee I will beat Biden, and I will serve two terms, and I will be able to destroy leftism in this country and leave woke ideology in the dustbin of history.”

    Every time that man opens his mouth he makes himself less appealing as a possible President. If he manages to make it through the primaries, his handlers are going to have to stuff him into a closet for the duration of the election.

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  2. Jaybrown

    As a former NJ "born and bred" resident and now returned after 40 years, I am really looking forward to Christie's campaign. He can't win, but he can expose Trump and Trumpism in glaring detail for the fraud and grift he/it is. It will be inflammatory and loud and very painful for Trump, and I look forward to every minute of it. It will be the only fun in this election cycle.

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    1. Avatar photo
      Andy Napoli

      I grew up in North Jersey and I very much look forward to Chris Christie just blasting Trump with both barrels. Especially in a debate (assuming Trump even attends one). Ron DeSantis is the only one who can actually beat Trump. But DeSantis has to win over Trump's voters. Chris Christie can take a pair of pliers and a blowtorch to Trump's record -- he's running for some kind of DeSantis cabinet appointment. Christie doesn't need to get a single Trump voter. He just needs to dislodge enough of them loose for the other candidates to pick them up and depress Trump's vote.

      To be effective, Christie has to hit Trump on being (1) incompetent and (2) corrupt. I think Christie has the skills to pull that off.

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    2. Ufodaddy

      Me too...

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    3. Jack H Wolf

      Firstly, we should not underestimate Trump's Teflon coating that allows him to escape anything, but second Christie is hardly the one to lead the shock troops against the patron saint of sore losers. After all, he was Trump'/s earliest booster and stuck with him through everything, and carries his own history of playing hardball dirty politics.
      If anybody has the integrity to lead the charge imo it is Tim Scott, who is harder to demonize being the softspoken, religious, sincere conservative, but I dont think that is his usual style, but he could do it, merely by speaking the truth.
      Then DeSantis vs Trump, will be very Springeresque and Trump has much better practice at mudslinging.

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      1. Jaybrown

        I'm not looking for "integrity," I'm looking for an entertaining blowout. Scott has too much to lose. Christie, not so much.

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  3. Jaybrown

    DeSantis wants to "destroy leftism"?? OK, count me out of his camp. How about "compromise with leftism" to find common ground and advance the interests of al Americans?

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    1. Avatar photo
      Stephanie

      I wonder about wide demand for a “warrior” who wants to destroy half the country. I like things being on an even keel, myself.

      It’s free country, as the saying goes. If people want to have opinions I don’t share (left, right or center), or they want to be “woke,” so what?

      If corporations choose to do things that some people call “woke” (Chick Fil-A), why not, if they think it’s good for business. If it’s not, market forces will take care of it.

      Maybe I’m unrealistic. But I can’t think people outside hardcore John Birch types will find the DeSantis divisiveness appealing.

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    2. Avatar photo
      Magpie

      Agreed.

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    3. Goatprairie

      Destroying leftism would be great. Liberalism is quite another thing. Sometimes the county needs a little liberalism (civil rights laws, etc,) and sometimes conservatism (cut down spending, don't go so fast on many social justice actiivities.)
      Leftism, destruction of the ideals the country was founded on, we don't need.

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  4. C.S.

    This is terrific reporting. Lots of great flavor. Different perspectives. No cheerleading. Thank you!

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  5. SR

    "“No one sent us here to borrow an additional $4 trillion to get absolutely nothing in return but at best, if I’m being really generous, a spending freeze for a couple of years,” GOP Rep. Chip Roy, an avowed no-vote, said Tuesday."

    You already borrowed the money, Mr. McMeatspacehead.

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  6. Craig Berry

    First of all, is "meatspace" some political term I'm not aware of or did you guys just make that up? Or is it the name of some adult film about a MySpace competitor in the early 2000's?

    Secondly, that's quite a task DeSantis set up for himself. He's not just standing athwart leftism, he's going to destroy it! I think I'm going to get a PhD. in Sociology because if there's no more leftism in America small liberal arts colleges are going to have a lot of openings for professors.

    Third, while I'm no fan of DeSantis it's nice to see someone nutting up and going after Trump. And it sounds like, to paraphrase Jonah, Chris Christie is going to put on the vest and hug Donald Trump at the debates. For the love of all that is good, just don't start making small hands jokes. It's been shown not to work.

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  7. Bigdonmck

    Concerning the debt package, "it really is remarkable". I'm no fan of McCarthy, but who foresaw a bill where Dem votes carry the day for the Speaker? Gotta give the guy a bit of credit.
    I'd say Biden overplayed his hand. And forget about all the power maneuvers, isn't it nice to see this large of a compromise on an issue of this magintude? You could push me over with a feather....and I tip the Toledos at over 3 bills.

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    1. Avatar photo
      John N.

      LOL Qevin's bill doesn't *reduce* the deficit, as this Politics piece says.

      It reduces the *growth* of the deficit. If that's what Americans call "remarkable" then we are all well and truly doomed.

      Biden rolled Qevin and it could very well cost him his speakership to boot.

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      1. Jaybrown

        You really make yourself look foolish and juvenile with the "Q" stuff.

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          JohnM.

          Yes he does, but he doesn't care.

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      2. Avatar photocircle-angle-nib
        Andrew Egger vertical-nib Author

        The package would reduce the growth of the debt relative to baseline—i.e. the deficit.

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        1. Avatar photo
          John N.

          Fair, but it also has assumptions, i.e. the clawbacks can be targeted to reduce the cuts to non-defense spending. all in all, pretty weak sauce, methinks.

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      3. Bigdonmck

        Good post. Yer right, this bill only REDUCES the GROWTH. And McCarthy will have ticked off several members of his own Party. But I'm hopeful he hangs on. Again, no big fan, but he has surprised me so far.
        And Biden didn't "roll" Qevin, Biden has trouble rolling out of bed these days. The behind the scenes progressive "handlers" overplayed their hand here. IMHO. And I could be wrong....again. I'm just kinda glad to see this level of compromise. It's been a while. Have a good one.

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  8. Avatar photo
    Brian L.

    > “ his first meatspace campaign event”

    “meatspace” - I get it, LOL! Glad TMD is written by 20-somethings who keep me up to date on the kid-speak. :-D

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    1. Avatar photo
      TheMatMan

      That's been in semi-common use for at least 20 years. It's the foil to cyberspace.

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      1. Avatar photo
        Stephanie

        Thanks for the explanation.

        The term’s new to me. I must be spending too much time in cyberspace 😁

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      2. Avatar photo
        Brian L.

        Haha, you hip youngsters!

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  9. Avatar photo
    I Am the Eggman

    DeSantis: “Everyone knows if I’m the nominee I will beat Biden, and I will serve two terms, and I will be able to destroy leftism in this country and leave woke ideology in the dustbin of history.”

    That reads like DeSantis's version of Trump pounding his fist and yelling, "ONLY I CAN FIX IT!!!" It was BS then and it's BS now.

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    1. Avatar photo
      PJ

      The spawn of Anita Bryant's comment made me laugh until I remembered how many Americans truly believe.

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  10. Eklees

    Since presidents can't legislate how does DeSantis think he can destroy leftism (whatever that means)? This sounds absurd and weird. Maybe Chris Cristy will provide some sanity in the republican primary run-ups.

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    1. Slowdave1

      Unfortunately,presidential campaigns have devolved to 5th grade class president contests where the candidates promise "Coke machines in the cafeteria!" if they're elected (which of course they can't do) and people vote for that person. Sad state of the electorate.

      Loudest yeller wins. We have created the perfect atmosphere for a loud, immoral loser like Trump. God help us.

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    2. Walter.L.Appling

      I don’t think he’s really talking about legislation. Ron is accustomed to using a completely pliant legislature as an attack vector, but he wants GOPers to think he will lead an all-out culture war against the rest of America. That’s what he judges the primary voters want to hear, so that’s what he promises. It’s impossible to say if Ron has any core beliefs because he’s been mighty pliant himself over his political career.

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      1. Goatprairie

        Not against the rest of America......just leftism which is wrecking the country.

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        1. Walter.L.Appling

          I should have said an all-out culture war against every American who Ron perceives to be left of himself. It’s the war itself that matters most to the GOP primary voters he is trying to peel away from Trump. It’s the “war” that matters, not the result. There must always be an internal enemy for certain types of authoritarian minds. Hence new enemies must be found.

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          1. Goatprairie

            Sometimes a battle is warranted. Especially against people who believe mutilating young children is a good idea or filling their heads with pornography.

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    3. Avatar photo
      Paul Britton

      There’s a lot that the Chief Executive, whose job is to oversee all the different cabinet departments, can do to get rid of woke and “anti-racist” indoctrination and practices — for example, in the armed forces.

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    4. Bill

      It's just red meat for MAGA consumption. And it goes along with the position of the Republican Central Committee in my Eastern Washington county: Democrats are America's #1 Enemy. And it's why there are no Republicans in any state-wide elected office.

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