Ron DeSantis Mocked For Ignoring Real Reason For GOP's Recent Losses
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ latest attempt to mark himself as a more viable GOP presidential candidate than Donald Trump without actually criticizing the former president is going about as well as expected.
On Saturday, while DeSantis was in Iowa, he referred to the Republican Party’s recent woes at the ballot box as “a culture of losing that has impacted our party in recent years.”
Although DeSantis also claimed that “the time for excuses is over,” and that the party “can’t focus the election on the past or on other side issues,” he didn’t specifically mention the one reason the party is focusing on those issues: the 2020 election-denying former president.
Still, he seemed to like that “culture of losing” phrase so much that he used it again on Monday during a press conference in Florida, when a reporter asked him to acknowledge that Trump lost and there was no election fraud.
AlterNet notes that the main point of the press conference was to express support for state legislation that would limit or ban spending by state colleges on programs related to race and diversity. And DeSantis also wanted to tell prospective college students who might want to pursue degrees he dislikes to leave the Sunshine State, such as if they want “to do things like gender ideology.”
But while DeSantis had no problem calling out young college students exploring career goals, he was reluctant to call out Trump, saying only, “I think the party has developed a culture of losing.”
REPORTER: Do you acknowledge that Trump lost and there wasn't all this fraud he talks about?
DESANTIS: I think the party has developed a culture of losing. pic.twitter.com/FP7tnk1ltr— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 15, 2023
DeSantis hasn’t officially declared his candidacy for 2024, but his ongoing reluctance to criticize Trump made him the subject of Twitter mockery on Monday.
Here’s another reason why he won’t get the nomination: He’s afraid to say Trump lost in 2020. https://t.co/9Gemp9rA7I
— Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) May 15, 2023
Can’t admit trump lost but bemoaning a “culture of losing” https://t.co/WLsjLkuf3S
— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) May 15, 2023
This is such a simple yes or no.
Did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election.
And DeSantis just can't say yes. https://t.co/bfLRTITsWh— Ammar Moussa (@ammarmufasa) May 15, 2023
That's the authoritarian animatronic's automated response now. "Culture of losing." Rinse, repeat. You know who has lost under his regime? The entire state of Florida--yes, even DeSantis stans. They have lost to own the libs. https://t.co/y9BjUxT6X6
— Lesley Abravanel (@lesleyabravanel) May 15, 2023
Ron DeSantis: I think the [Republican] Party has developed a culture of losing.
NARRATOR: Little does he know he's part of the party... pic.twitter.com/Be7l8QRwuO— Grant Stern (@grantstern) May 15, 2023
So brave https://t.co/dtZHcAm7RCpic.twitter.com/OkluVX1PxX
— Jay McKenzie (@jamesfourm) May 15, 2023
By refusing to answer DeSantis has committed himself to the GOP's culture of losing.
GE voters hate election denialism. They also hate that you can't give a straight answer to a simple question. Especially when you're running as the anti-establishment answer to the typical pol. https://t.co/qssAFoQtQR— Hari Sevugan (@HariSevugan) May 15, 2023
He needs to be asked this repeatedly for the next year and be drowned out by the blare of a game show horn every time he gets it wrong. https://t.co/V13bBReiID
— scott linnen (@ScottLinnen) May 15, 2023
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