Trump brushes off polls showing Ron DeSantis ahead of him in critical states ahead of 2024: ‘He won’t be leading, I got him elected’

• Trump on Saturday stepped up his criticism of DeSantis because the GOP presidential campaign heats up.
• As he spoke to reporters, the previous president took credit score for DeSantis’ rise: “I got him elected.”
• Trump traveled to New Hampshire and South Carolina on Saturday to rally help amongst Republicans.

Former President Donald Trump on Saturday stepped up his political campaign against Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida — a possible competitor for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination — stating that the Sunshine State chief “won’t be leading” in polling and persevering with to take credit score for the previous congressman’s political ascent.

After Trump announced his third presidential bid last November, he just about went chilly on the campaign path — a rarity for him.

But on Saturday, he made main appearances in New Hampshire and South Carolina, two key early-voting states that can play an outsized role in the nomination course of.

During his speeches, he sought to rally his base — taking swings at President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York whereas also railing against immigration points on the US-Mexico border and the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

While chatting with reporters, although, Trump let unfastened on DeSantis, who had long been his political ally — however who now may threaten his goal of securing the GOP presidential nomination subsequent year.

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Per Politico, Trump accused DeSantis of looking for to “rewrite history” when it got here to his dealing with of the coronavirus pandemic, arguing that the Florida governor “promoted the vaccine as much as anyone.”

Among GOP governors, DeSantis has long been one of many strongest opponents of vaccine mandates and fought vigorously against vaccine passports, at the same time as he also touted the high vaccination charges of Floridians aged 65 and older.

But by late last year, DeSantis had grow to be a lot more essential of COVID-19 vaccines, as Insider’s Kimberly Leonard reported, placing him far to the right of Trump on the difficulty.

On Saturday, the previous president continued his broadsides against DeSantis.

“When I hear that he might [run] I think it’s very disloyal,” Trump said of the Florida governor, in keeping with Politico.

While Trump continues to steer in many nationwide polls amongst potential 2024 GOP voters, his as soon as impenetrable standing has declined in some statewide polling.

Last week, a University of New Hampshire Survey Center ballot confirmed DeSantis forward of Trump by 12 factors, with 46% – or barely lower than half — of all GOP respondents stating that they wished to see the previous president on the poll once more subsequent year.

Polling in South Carolina has been murkier, with each Trump and DeSantis popping out on prime in two separate polls released in the past few months.

But Trump has solid apart the chance that he is behind in the GOP race — or that he can be pushed to the side ought to the Florida governor enter the primary.

“He won’t be leading, I got him elected,” the previous president said, alluding to his 2018 endorsement of DeSantis which catapulted the then-congressman to the highest of the GOP gubernatorial area that year. “I’m the one that chose him.”