Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) hardly attacks former President Donald Trump (R) in a direct way. However, the presidential candidate took a swipe at not only Trump, but all of his Republican colleagues who have endorsed him so far, calling them, "listless vessels."
"If you’re not rooted in principle, if all we are is listless vessels that are just supposed to follow whatever happens to come down the pike on Truth Social every morning, that’s not going to be a durable movement," said DeSantis. The governor has since defended his comments despite widespread criticisms.
The Trump team responded by reminding voters of the controversial statement that then-nominee Hillary Clinton (D) was forced to apologize for, after calling millions of Americans, "deplorable," for supporting Donald Trump in the 2016 election. However, DeSantis' comments target lawmakers and equals in the GOP, including up and coming firebrand, US Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL).
The Floridian spoke with Congressman Donalds in Milwaukee this week to ask what he thought of the comments, as Donalds has worked in the past with the Florida governor, but has also been more than zealous over his endorsement of Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
"I don't understand it, its really a silly statement, I don't get it to be honest with you." Donalds continued, "I know that his poll numbers are struggling and he's trying to find a way to get somewhere but whether he meant it or not is irrelevant. You are talking about people in our movement, that's a real problem."
"We need everybody in our party and our movement to be on the same page. We'll get through our political situation with the primaries, but everybody's got to be on the same page so comments like that don't help."
The first Republican primary debate this week in Wisconsin featured little to no mention of Trump, but his absence seemed to continue to define the essence of all the candidate's attitudes.
