Florida Gov Ron DeSantis slammed for claiming media wants GOP candidates to 'smear' Trump personally

WAUKEE, IOWA: Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis addressed a voter's inquiry about his perceived leniency towards Donald Trump, asserting that he refuses to succumb to the media's desire to "smear" the former President.

In a video shared by ABC News, the Florida Governor was conversing with voters at a town hall event in Waukee, Iowa, on Wednesday, January 4, when an elderly voter named Christopher Garcia stated DeSantis was "going pretty soft" on the former President.

The White House hopeful replied, "I think what the media wants is they want Republican candidates to just kind of like smear him personally and kind of do that. That's just not how I vote."

The Governor further argued that he had "articulated all the differences time and time again on the campaign trail."

With only days left for the Iowa Republican Caucus on January 15, DeSantis has been distancing himself from comments against the former President. In another event in Iowa, he stated his intention to pardon Trump if elected in 2024.

Ron DeSantis claims Donald Trump cannot win an election

Garcia confronted DeSantis, asking whether it was true that "if Trump had kept his mouth shut for the four years that he was president, he would have won in a landslide."

The presidential hopeful answered the voter's questions, pointing out the former President lost votes in his home state, Florida, among the veterans and active military members after commenting against Navy Officer and former Congressman John McCain.

According to CNN, Trump disparaged McCain, stating that he was not a war hero, and doubled down his assessment in 2019, saying, "I was never a fan of John McCain, and I never will be."

Pointing out the former President's hateful comments, DeSantis added, "I don't think Donald Trump ultimately can win an election."

Asserting the current polls as "garbage," the presidential hopeful said that Jimmy Carter lost the 1980 election against Ronald Reagan despite polls projecting the opposite.

"There's just gonna be so many voters that are activated to come out and vote against him that it's not even related to policy. It's related to other things, and we've seen it on the ballot," DeSantis added.

"The whole election will end up being a referendum on his behavior."

In a recent interview on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' also the Florida Governor refrained from commenting on Trump's recent anti-immigrant remarks and inclination towards dictators.

In another instance, he vowed to fire special counsel Jack Smith, who had charged the former President with crimes related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election result.

Internet calls Ron DeSantis a coward

While DeSantis has not made firm commitments like his GOP rival Vivek Ramaswamy, who pledged to withdraw from the Maine and Colorado primary ballots if Trump is not reinstated, online users expressed dissatisfaction with the Florida Governor's less assertive stance.

One user labeled his remarks as "Media derangement syndrome."

Another user noted, "Oh so it's the media, not his inaction."

"Because Desantis can't win unless he gets the MAGA supporters," another person wrote. One user added, "Exactly, that's why he is losing."

One user mocked DeSantis's statement and wrote, "Of course it's the media's fault. Republican voters are jokers."

"Meatball is a coward," another stated. One user wrote, "They’re all cowed."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.