DeSantis reiterates Trump ‘lost,’ warns 2024 must not be about Jan. 6

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FLV) – In a new interview with NBC News, Gov. Ron DeSantis reiterated the fact that former President Donald Trump lost to President Joe Biden in the 2020 election, along with warning that Republicans will lose in 2024 if the public’s focus isn’t on kitchen table issues.

The interview will air on NBC Nightly News Monday evening.

“Did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election?” the host asked the governor.

“Whoever puts their hand on the Bible on January 20th every four years is the winner,” DeSantis replied.

The host pushed back on DeSantis, urging a “yes” or “no” answer.

“Of course he lost. Of course – Joe Biden is the president,” he said. “But the issue is, I think what people in the media and elsewhere, they want to act like somehow, this was just like, the perfect election.”

DeSantis drew ire from Trump supporters last week for saying that many 2020 election fraud theories “did not prove to be true.” He noted that it was not an election “conducted the way I think that we want to.”

The Florida governor warned that Republicans must ensure the 2024 election isn’t about the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots, or the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case.

“[If the election is a] referendum on Joe Biden’s policies and the failures that we’ve seen – and we are presenting a positive vision for the future – we will win the presidency, and we will have a chance to turn the country around,” he said.

“If, on the other hand, the election is not about January 20th, 2025, but January 6th, 2021, or what document was left by the toilet at Mar-a-Lago… if it’s a referendum on that, we are going to lose,” he warned. “That’s not a pathway for success for the Republican Party. I think a lot of our voters understand that.”

NBC also spoke with DeSantis and his wife, Casey, who was previously diagnosed with breast cancer in 2021.

“He was there for me, and he was there to go pick up my kids when I couldn’t. And he did it with humility, and he did it with love. And, I’ll tell you what, you can’t ask for a better husband than that,” she said, tearing up.

DeSantis responded, “In sickness and in health – that’s what you sign up for […] She’s my best friend. This is just what you do.”