Former President Donald Trump appeared unimpressed by new challenger Ron DeSantis, speaking bluntly about his rival for the Republican presidential nomination in off-the-cuff remarks to a journalist .
As he was playing in the LIV Golf Washington DC 2023 Pro-Am at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, on Saturday, Trump was accosted by journalist Kyle Mazza of UNF News, who asked a series of questions about DeSantis’ campaign during the leisurely game.
“If you were on a debate stage with Ron DeSantis, what would you say to him? What would be your interaction with him?” Mazza asked.
“I watched him with Charlie Crist and he got very badly beaten by Charlie Crist. Adam Putnam beat him. They say he’s not a very good debater, but maybe he is. We’ll find out. Maybe we’ll find out. Because unless he gets close, why would anybody debate?” Trump responded, raising the possibility that he might abstain from any presidential debate at his own discretion. (Trump has previously expressed indignation that he was not consulted about dates, locations and moderators for the schedule of Republican presidential primary debates.)
Turning to more general matters, Mazza then asked “Are you angry, Mr. President, that Ron DeSantis entered the race?”
“No, I think he’s a very disloyal person — because he was dead,” Trump said. “He was looking for jobs, and I endorsed him, and he went up many points. He was thirty points down at least, maybe more than that. He was dead. So I think he’s very disloyal, but I don’t care. Look, a poll just came out in Iowa. … I’m leading by 30 or 40 points. I don’t mind that at all. I think he’s very disloyal, but he has no personality. If you’ve got no personality in politics, it’s a very hard business.”
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
