Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said former President Donald Trump would be a risky 2024 GOP nominee, saying he has a “slim” chance of beating President Biden and will have difficulty attracting the talent needed to “get the job done” if he wins. Wins.
DeSantis, who is locked in a heated battle for second place in the Republican primary race with former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, was asked about his thoughts on front-runner Trump on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“Donald Trump is a high-risk proposition as a candidate because I think he has a low chance of getting elected, but it’s a low reward because he’ll be a lame duck on day one — and even if he gets elected, he won’t be able to attract that kind of talent to work in his administration,” DeSantis said. “And it’s going to be burdened with all these distractions that make it virtually impossible to get the job done.”
DeSantis also compared Trump to Biden in terms of age, saying that the position of commander in chief “is not a job for an 80-year-old.”
Race status: The matchup continues in Iowa, where Haley competes with DeSantis for second place behind Trump
Florida Governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said that Trump’s age will prevent him from being an effective president. (AP Photo/Charlie Nebergall)
Biden (80 years old) is about three and a half years older than Trump (77 years old). If Trump wins the presidency, he will be 79 years old when he takes office. DeSantis is 44 years old.
Former President Donald Trump is 77 years old. (AP Photo/Bryon Holgrave)
“Father Time is unbeatable,” the governor said. “Donald Trump is not exempt from any of that. I think with someone like me, you step in and, you know, I’m in the prime of my life. I’m going to go in on day one, serve two terms, and accomplish big things.” “Results and getting the country moving again. That’s what Republican voters want to see.”
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DeSantis claimed that the Trump running today is not the same Trump who was “going to rock” debate stages in 2016 and was “going to really shake things up.”
The governor said Trump is now “clinging to the teleprompter,” unwilling to debate and running on many of the same issues he failed to resolve in 2016, citing border wall construction and “draining the swamp” in Washington. The capital, among the failures of the former president.
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Meanwhile, Trump continued to attack both DeSantis and Haley during his Saturday appearance in Iowa, urging attendees to show up on caucus day to “make sure we get a big victory” that would signal to the other candidates that they should withdraw.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
