Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Criticizes Donald Trump’s Shift to the Left in 2024 Nomination Race

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who recently announced his bid for the 2024 Republican nomination, has intensified his criticism of former President Donald Trump, accusing him of abandoning conservative principles. In a recent interview, DeSantis expressed his belief that Trump’s recent positions have shifted towards the left, while he himself remains firmly rooted in conservative values. DeSantis emphasized the importance of standing for bold policy rather than moving towards the left in order to secure a national victory.

DeSantis Breaks Silence, Criticizes Trump’s Conservative Credentials

While DeSantis had previously refrained from engaging in direct attacks against Trump, the Florida governor took a different approach on Thursday. DeSantis directly questioned Trump’s conservative credentials on key issues such as Social Security and abortion. Expressing his confusion over Trump’s transformation since his 2015–2016 campaign, DeSantis suggested that the former president’s current campaign direction is misguided.

DeSantis Trails Trump in Primary Polls, Trump Responds Assertively

As of a Thursday polling average from FiveThirtyEight, DeSantis is currently trailing Trump by more than 30 points in primary surveys. Despite this gap, DeSantis consistently holds the second position behind Trump. Meanwhile, Trump wasted no time in launching counterattacks. Taking to Truth Social, a social media platform, Trump criticized DeSantis’ glitch-ridden Twitter broadcast announcing his bid, predicting that the entire campaign would be a disaster and potentially fatal for DeSantis’ political aspirations.