Francis Suarez is the latest addition to the Republican primaries for president. The mayor of Miami said he is the only candidate capable of "unifying" the country and has his eyes set on the August 23 debate, which will be the first of the cycle. Just hours after the announcement, he received strong criticism from a congressman.
Carlos Gimenez came to the House of Representatives in 2021 to represent Florida's 26th district, but redistricting moved him to represent the 28th district as of January 2023.
He has vast political experience in Miami-Dade County, where he served as mayor (2011-2020) and as commissioner of the seventh district (2005-2011). In addition, he was the city manager of the City of Miami from 2000 to 2003.
With these credentials behind him, he analyzed the recent presidential candidacy of Suarez, who adopted the campaign slogan: "It's time to get started."
Gimenez, a Republican, claims to have known the now-candidate for a long time and questioned his Republicanism. "I will never support Francis Suarez, I think he is a complete fraud. Why? Because he voted for Hillary Clinton, Andrew Gillum, and Joe Biden," he said in an interview with Fox News.
Giménez: I will never support Francis Suarez, I believe he is a complete fraud. Why? Because he voted for Hillary Clinton, Andrew Gillum, and Joe Biden pic.twitter.com/UX6LoKjaTz
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 14, 2023
Indeed, the Miami mayor did not vote for Ron DeSantis in the 2018 gubernatorial election, although he did join him in his 2022 re-election bid. As for former President Donald Trump, while he recognized his political achievements, he never declared himself a fan of his personality.
"I think he has missed some opportunities on climate and, of course, the personality thing doesn't resonate with me. I think a leader should be inspirational, I don't think he should be someone who puts people down. I think it should be someone who builds people up," he said in an interview with Carlos Watson.
Suarez on Messi's arrival in MLS
The Republican makes no secret of his fanaticism for soccer, proudly displaying two framed jerseys in the background of his podcast, one of Lionel Messi and one of Sergio Ramos. When asked about the imminent arrival of the Argentine star at Inter Miami, he responded proudly with a "You're welcome, America."
In addition, he boasted about Messi's arrival, stating that he made his decision in part because of the quality of life in the city. "[Now] We have Lionel Messi, who is the most coveted player in the world, arguably one of the biggest gets [...] and what it says about Miami, he could have chosen to make a lot more money in Saudi Arabia, maybe in Barcelona, but he picked Miami because we have the best quality of life," the mayor concluded.
