DeSantis takes shot at Trump as 2024 rivals both visit Iowa
Asher Notheis
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis discussed how the GOP could win in the future during a visit to Iowa on Saturday, taking a slight shot at former President Donald Trump in doing so.
DeSantis claimed during his visit that the Republican party must “reject the culture of losing that has infected our party in recent years.” The statement seemed to be referencing Trump’s repeated claims that the 2020 election was stolen, which Trump has insisted upon since leaving the White House in 2021.
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“The time for excuses is over,” said DeSantis. “If we make 2024 election a referendum on Joe Biden and his failures and if we provide a positive alternative for the future of this country, Republicans will win across the board.”
The Florida governor warned that if Republicans “focus the election on the past,” it is likely that Democrats will continue to win, adding that it would be “very difficult to recover from that defeat.”
DeSantis made his speech in Iowa during the Feenstra Family Picnic hosted by Rep Randy Feenstra (R-IA). Trump was scheduled to host a traditional campaign rally in Des Moines on Saturday, but it was canceled due to weather.
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DeSantis has yet to announce if he will run for president in 2024, though he is considered by many to be the biggest potential challenger to Trump for the GOP nomination.
On Thursday, Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair and House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl, two high-profile Iowa Republicans, endorsed DeSantis for his potential 2024 run. Sinclair described DeSantis as “head and shoulders” above any Republican primary challengers, noting that “it’s an easy endorsement for me.”