DeSantis rebukes claims he represents ‘establishment forces’
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis again disputed claims from detractors that he represents “establishment forces” in his bid to defeat former President Donald Trump in the 2024 GOP primary.
“How do you deal with this mistrust and this great appetite for outsiders?” the governor was asked by talk show host Russell Brand.
“I would push back on this idea that I’m representing establishment forces,” DeSantis replied. “I get attacked by the corporate press more than anybody running for office, more than Joe Biden, and now more than Donald Trump.”
“I think the corporate press views me as a bigger threat,” the governor continued. “They understand that I will beat Biden and they know I will actually deliver on all these things.”
DeSantis has frequently used the phrase “no excuses” as his presidential campaign kicked up, attempting to contrast himself with the former president and a perception of failing to deliver on key conservative issues.
“I think they [the media] think that Trump would not beat Biden. And then I think they think even if he did – that he would be distracted with all these other stuff, and wouldn’t be able to deliver,” he said. “I’ve been the target of all these people and I think it’s because I’ve been willing to lead.”
DeSantis, in a bid to paint himself as more of an outsider candidate than Trump, criticized the former president last month over failing to “slay the deep state.”
“To slay the deep state – this big unaccountable bureaucracy that’s been weaponized, that we’ve been complaining about as Republicans for decades – to be able to slay that that is going to require discipline,” DeSantis said.
“It’s going to require focus and it’s going to require an ability to be [president] long enough so that the bureaucrats just can’t out waste you,” he continued. “If the former president says he can slay the deep state in six months, my question to him would be, well, you already had four years – why didn’t you slay it then?”
DeSantis’ stances on culture war issues also recently took fire from former U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan over “polarizing” cultural issues, a perceived “establishment” figure.
“I’m not a culture war guy,” Ryan said. “I think it’s really polarizing.”
DeSants’ campaign responded to Ryan, saying, “The Establishment can cry all they want, but there is NOTHING ‘polarizing’ about fighting the sexualization of our children.”
The former speaker went on to note that while he does side with the “anti woke crowd” on some cultural issues, he’s more worried about problems like the debt crisis.
