'He needs to look in mirror': Ron DeSantis draws flak for calling Nikki Haley 'darling of never Trumpers'

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis faced brutal backlash as he ripped into GOP rival Nikki Haley, calling her 'phony' and 'a darling of the Never Trumpers'.

The 45-year-old GOP frontrunner was in a joint interview with NBC News and The Des Moines Register on Thursday, January 04 when he claimed that he is the only one that has a chance to beat Trump.

“Nikki Hayley can't get conservative voters. She's playing for voters who are not even core Republicans,” DeSantis stated, adding “She is playing for a fringe, but she's not playing to win.”

“Most of her support are people that really don't like Donald Trump. She's the darling of the Never Trumpers,” the Florida governor continued.

He then continued by recalling Haley’s most recent gaffe where she mixed up Iowa Hawkeyes basketball sensation Caitlin Clark with CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins during a tailgate event.

“I'm just thinking to myself, you know, 'She's phony.' You know, she doesn't have a core set of convictions,” DeSantis said, according to NBC News.

“She's coming in here. She's trying to be relatable but just doesn't get Iowa. And I think that's becoming more and more apparent,” he continued.

DeSantis ripped into Donald Trump

When asked which state he might see himself winning in the coming months, DeSantis said, "We're going to be able to win a lot of states.

He added later that “to say that we’ve put all the eggs [in one basket] is not true. We have great organization and field programs in the early states. And we’re going to compete in all of them."

DeSantis chastised Haley while equally blasting Trump for his lack of attendance in the Hawkeye State before the January 15 caucus. “We think Iowans appreciate when you go to all 50, or all 99 counties, and you show up, and you answer questions. I'm the only one that's done that. I mean, Donald Trump will not go answer questions. He won't even participate in debates," DeSantis said.

The governor added that, as the Republican nominee, he could concentrate on the policy problems that American citizens face rather than Trump's legal troubles.

“Practically speaking, Republican voters just have to look at this and say, 'OK, do we want the election to be about the issues that the American people are facing?'" DeSantis said.

“Do we want to be able to hold Biden and the Democrats’ feet to the fire for their failures and offer a way to a better future for Americans? Or do we want the election to be about Donald Trump’s conduct, about Jan. 6, about criminal cases and all this?" he added.

Internet reacts to DeSantis’ claims

After DeSantis’ interview surfaced on social media, many users slammed him for blasting Haley while calling her 'phony' 

“He needs to look in the mirror on that one,” one user slammed. “I thought DeSantis was running against Trump 🤣🤣🤣” the second user trolled.

“Him saying she's unrelatable is the funniest stuff I've heard today. He has the personality of a rock,” the third user joked while the fourth one said “Why is he acting like a bobblehead? Normal people don’t talk like that Lmao”

“Wow, DeSantis is now in 3rd place and sinking like a stone. With these desperate attacks, he comes across as unhinged. Not a good look,” the fifth user trolled.

“That's because he's fighting for 2nd place. Which is a coin toss at this point,” another user wrote.