Trump formulates five-point plan to attack DeSantis ahead of bitter primary cycle: Report
Cami Mondeaux
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Donald Trump is not expected to pull his punches as he prepares to face a crowded field of challengers for the GOP presidential nomination, with the former president specifically formulating an attack plan against Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL).
As Trump ramps up his third White House bid, the former president is reportedly crafting a five-point attack plan to erode Republicans’ confidence in DeSantis as a way to weaken who is likely to be Trump’s toughest primary opponent. The strategy aims to deter DeSantis from launching a White House bid or at least tarnish his standing should he enter the candidate pool, according to Axios.
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“There’s a pre-Trump Ron, and there’s a post-Trump Ron,” a source close to Trump told the outlet. “He used to be a Reagan Republican. That’s where he comes from. He’s now awkwardly trying to square his views up with the populist nationalist feeling of that party.”
As part of his attack plan, Trump is set to target five areas ranging from DeSantis’s previous policy stances to the governor’s withering support for the former president.
Trump will especially hit out against DeSantis for comments he has made on Social Security and Medicare, pointing to the governor’s past support for raising the eligibility age for the welfare programs. Social Security and Medicare are expected to be major issues in the 2024 cycle as Democrats and Republicans attempt to paint each other as willing to gut the insurance programs.
Trump is also expected to target DeSantis for his position on the war in Ukraine, planning to portray the Florida governor as being unclear on his stance. Trump will specifically use his comments against him, including an interview DeSantis did with Fox News in which the governor declined to take a definite position.
The former president will also focus attacks on DeSantis’s COVID-19 policies as governor and his support for former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), who has long been the target of attacks by Trump. He will also accuse DeSantis of being disloyal to him, following through with Trump’s previous claims that he is the reason DeSantis was first elected in 2018.
DeSantis has not indicated whether he plans to launch a White House bid, but the Florida governor is considered to be a top contender should he choose to run.
The Florida governor has brushed off Trump’s attacks in recent weeks, equating them to “background noise” as he mulls a presidential campaign.
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“He used to say how great of a governor I was,” DeSantis told Fox News earlier this week. “And then I win a big victory, and all of a sudden, you know, he had different opinions. And so you could take that for what it’s worth.”
Trump holds an early lead over his possible GOP challengers, according to early polling. A majority of Republican voters, 55%, said they would back Trump in the GOP primary compared to 25% who said they would vote for DeSantis, according to a recent poll from Emerson College.