Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is getting aggressive with his presidential campaign. Over the weekend, he said he would “start slitting throats day one” if he’s elected in 2024.
What exactly did the Republican governor mean?
According to The Hill, DeSantis was referring to “deep state people” involved in the federal government. He reportedly made the comments during a barbecue campaign event in Rye, N.H., hosted by former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.).
“We’re going to have all of these deep state people, you know, we are going to start slitting throats on day one,” DeSantis said, per the outlet. It also said that DeSantis has used this type of language before.
During an interview with right-leaning outlet Real America’s Voice last month, DeSantis used it when discussing the Department of Defense hierarchy.
“You know, they may have to slit some throats. And it’s a lot harder to do that if these are people that you’ve trained with in the past or that you know,” said DeSantis, who served as a JAG officer in the U.S. Navy. “So we’re going to have somebody out there, you know, be very firm, very strong, but they are going to make sure that we have the best people in the best positions, and there’s not going to be necessarily prior relationships that would cloud that judgment.”
While in New Hampshire, DeSantis also rolled out his new “Declaration of Economic Independence” plan. He said during a speech in Rochester, N.H., that “we cannot allow no longer the failed ruling class in this country to dictate out nation’s policies.”
After New Hampshire, DeSantis headed to Iowa for more campaigning.
There, he pivoted some of his messaging to slam former President Donald Trump’s election fraud claims.
“All those theories that were put out did not prove to be true,” DeSantis said in response to a reporter question following an event at a brewery in Northeast Iowa, according to The New York Times.
This week, Trump was indicted and charged with “conspiring to defraud the United States, conspiring to disenfranchise voters, and conspiring and attempting to obstruct an official proceeding,” per the U.S. Department of Justice. These charges are related to the former president’s unfounded election fraud claims, as well as the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
Trump announced his campaign last November and DeSantis announced his in May. Both have been in the lead of the GOP candidate pool, but Trump has often polled considerably ahead of DeSantis with Republicans. However, The New York Times said Friday that Trump’s lead was softening in Iowa, where he had 44% of the GOP vote compared to DeSantis’ 20%.
The indictment this week is the third indictment of Trump so far this year. Some experts believe that charges against him – particularly those related to his handling of classified documents after leaving office – may ultimately prevent him from running or holding office again.
Related
Related
