When Ron DeSantis was asked last Friday about accusations of fraud in the 2020 elections, he said "All those theories that were put out did not prove to be true,” according to various media outlets. The governor acknowledged that it’s one thing to say the election wasn’t conducted the way it should have, but another to say that votes were stolen, like in Venezuela.
Matt Wolking, director of strategic communications working for DeSantis, later posted the full quote:
Here's the full quote from DeSantis: "It was not an election that was conducted the way I think that we want to, but that’s different than saying [Venezuelan President Nicolás] Maduro stole votes or something like that. Those theories, you know, proved to be unsubstantiated.
Here's the full quote from DeSantis: "It was not an election that was conducted the way I think that we want to, but that’s different than saying [Venezuelan President Nicolás] Maduro stole votes or something like that. Those theories, you know, proved to be unsubstantiated."
— Matt Wolking (@MattWolking) August 4, 2023
With these remarks, DeSantis called out former President Donald Trump’s accusations of what happened in the 2020 election. This came just days after Trump was indicted for trying the overturn the last election.
As soon as the 45 pages of the indictment were released, the Republican governor tweeted that he had not read the document and lashed out against Washington DC. Although his new statements are more critical, they are far from what Mike Pence, Chris Christie, Asa Hutchinson and Will Hurd have said.
More criticism
This same weekend, DeSantis also called out Trump, his main opponent in the race for the GOP nomination, for insulting his opponents, saying that they were "juvenile" and that he "wouldn't teach (his) kids to treat people like that."
WATCH: Governor Ron DeSantis asked in a New Hampshire Town Hall how he will respond when former President Trump launches personal attacks and insults. DeSantis directly goes after Trump on policy while reminding voters that Trump's behavior is one of the reason why the GOP loses pic.twitter.com/JqVfkeY0xA
— Hempstead Tires (@HempsteadTirez) August 5, 2023
He also acknowledged that although Trump accomplished "great things" during his presidency, his platform in 2024 is made up of 2016 promises that he did not keep during his term. These included "draining the swamp," forcing Mexico to pay for a wall on the southern border, and reducing the fiscal debt.
DESANTIS: The former president “did do a lot of great things and I was a big supporter. But he’s running in 2024 on the things that he promised to do in 2016 and DIDN’T DO.”
🔥 You don’t want to miss this: pic.twitter.com/1Lduq6Jb1s
— DeSantis War Room 🐊 (@DeSantisWarRoom) August 5, 2023
