DeSantis says Trump taking Iowa ‘for granted,’ bushes off Rubio

Ron DeSantis on Monday dismissed Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)'s endorsement of the former president just ahead of the Hawkeye State caucuses, saying former President Trump took Iowa “for granted.” accused of being

In an interview with NewsNation's “NewsNation Live with Marni Hughes,” DeSantis spoke about his campaign efforts in Iowa and that Trump is not participating in the Republican primary. Contrasted with the argument of

“And I think Trump is kind of taking Iowa for granted. He hasn't finished asking questions yet. He hasn't participated in the debate,” DeSantis said Monday. “He hasn't been… he certainly hasn't been to all 99 counties. And yeah, he's famous because he's been president. But as we look to the future, there's a lot of flux here.” And I think we've put ourselves in a good position to capture that going forward.”

Trump has refused to attend debates among Republican presidential primary candidates, citing his large lead in polls.

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Although Mr. DeSantis appears optimistic about his chances in Iowa, polls show the Florida governor is struggling to make a significant difference to the former president's lead. ing. Trump leads his closest challenger in Iowa, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, by 34.7 points, according to The Hill and Decision Desk Headquarters polling index. DeSantis is close to Haley, winning nearly 16% of the projected Republican caucus vote in Iowa.

Mr. Rubio on Sunday expressed support for Mr. Trump and disparaged the state's governor, DeSantis. Mr. Rubio's endorsement means both Florida senators will choose the former president over their home state's governor.

DeSantis dismissed the endorsement Monday, noting that he has received dozens of other endorsements from state lawmakers.

“Well, it's interesting. I mean, I'm the governor. I mean, we have like 90 members in the state legislature. [the] The House and Senate supported me because they worked with me and saw great results,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis said he is not the candidate who is “backed by the politicians in Washington,” but believes voters don't want a candidate who has the backing of “all the politicians in Washington.” Stated.

“I think they're looking at Washington, D.C., and saying the Republicans say big things, but they're never getting results,” DeSantis said, later adding that politicians “gravitate towards Trump.” He added that he believed it was President Trump's fault. “He is the embodiment of the DC Republican class.”

DeSantis' comments came hours before the scheduled start of the Iowa caucuses, which are scheduled to begin Monday at 8 p.m. ET. The caucuses effectively kick off the Republican primary voting season, testing Trump's power within the party and whether Haley and DeSantis have enough momentum heading into next week's New Hampshire primary. This will be the first test.