Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida and presidential candidate for the Republican primaries, announced that he has decided to compete in the GOP elections in Colorado despite the controversial disqualification of former President Donald Trump.
In an interview with Newsmax, DeSantis was asked about the position of Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who announced that, as a result of Trump’s disqualification, he will not compete in the Colorado primaries and asked the rest of the candidates to follow his example.
Ron DeSantis says he will not follow Vivek Ramaswamy’s lead and withdraw from the Colorado primary if Donald Trump is not on the ballot. pic.twitter.com/0EJZLj47CN
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) December 20, 2023
“And real quick, a fellow GOP 2024 presidential candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, saying he will remove himself from the Colorado ballot unless Trump’s eligibility is restored. Would you do the same?” DeSantis was asked.
“No, I think that’s just playing into the left,” replied the Florida governor, who also pointed out that the U.S. Supreme Court will reverse the ruling of the Colorado state court.
“I think the case will get overturned by the Supreme Court, but I’ve qualified for all the ballots. I’m competing in all the states and I’m going to accumulate the delegates necessary. That’s the whole name of the game in this situation. But I do anticipate that that decision was political and will get reversed.”
DeSantis divides conservatives on X
DeSantis’ comments sparked a heated debate among conservative commentators on X (formerly Twitter).
Many criticized the Florida governor’s position, considering it as support for the justice system that is trying to disqualify a candidate unfairly, and others praised it, believing that it is the bravest path that a presidential challenger can take.
“And just like that, Ron DeSantis has disqualified himself. Anyone who believes they should win by cheating doesn’t deserve to be anywhere near power,” opined commentator Tim Pool, one of the many who took a stand against the governor of Florida.
“Vivek is coordinating with Trump, not running against him. DeSantis said he believes it will be overturned. And made other remarks yesterday and today saying the same thing. C’mon,” responded another conservative analyst, Dave Rubin.
Vivek is coordinating with Trump, not running against him. DeSantis said he believes it will be overturned. And made other remarks yesterday and today saying the same thing. C’mon.
— Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) December 20, 2023
Afterward, Ryan Saavedra, a reporter for the Daily Wire, argued with Pool about DeSantis’ words.
The reporter called Pool a double standard, ignoring that “Trump’s team filed a lawsuit to have DeSantis thrown off the ballot.”
Pool did not balk at the journalist’s accusation: “Say whatever you want, but it just looks like the cringiest attempt to prop up a dude who is failing.”
