On Tuesday, during Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' televised town hall in Iowa, protesters stormed onto the stage and chanted “no oil money,” temporarily suspending the proceedings.
The vandal held a medium-sized banner in front of the White House hopeful before quickly exiting the stage at an event in Des Moines hosted by Fox News hosts Bret Baier and Martha McCollum. succeeded in expanding it.
“You know, you live and learn with these people, right?” DeSantis said amid the uproar. “Alright. Alright. Well, guys, that was a mistake. You guys didn't get it right.”
DeSantis seemed unfazed by the interruption, and as soon as the dust settled, he continued to think about abortion, trying to distinguish himself from former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on the issue.
“I think she’s indulging in left-wing tropes.” [about abortion]” DeSantis said of Haley, who has tied or beat the Florida governor in several Iowa polls since December.
“She's been slamming pro-lifers, saying, 'We shouldn't be talking about putting women in prison.' No one's talking about that,” DeSantis said. “I've never met a single pro-life activist who has ever talked about that. It's a metaphor used by the left and the media, but she's resigned to it.”
With less than a week until the Jan. 15 caucuses, DeSantis is trailing Haley by just 0.2 points in the race for second place in the Hawkeye State, according to RealClearPolitics polling averages.
Trump, who has refused to debate his opponent in the Republican primary, maintains a seemingly insurmountable 35.6% lead in Iowa, according to polling companies.
But DeSantis insisted he enjoys his “underdog” position and said he likes “lower expectations.”
“I've been answering your questions in every corner of the state,” DeSantis said. “The other candidates, you know, Donald Trump won't answer your questions. I don't think Nikki Haley won some of these counties.”
“So, I came here. I did it right. I think the people of Iowa appreciate that and we'll do well, but to be honest, I set my expectations low.” I want to.”
“I've been an underdog all my life and everything I've ever done,” he added.
DeSantis emphasized his underdog leanings at a post-City Hall news conference, telling reporters, “You're going to predict…I like to be underestimated.”
His answer was in response to a question about whether he could win the March 19 Republican primary in Florida, where Trump also has a wide lead.
“I think being the underdog suits me better…What's going to happen is we're going to see a lot of fluidity in this, starting with Iowa, as people start voting. , and I just think like people are watching all of this,” he said.
“I'm the person who can unite the party. Conservatives trust me. We have a great record of concrete achievements. We can get it done. ”
