Ron DeSantis mocked for saying Donald Trump's remarks on immigrants don’t help 'move the ball forward'

MIAMI, FLORIDA: Florida governor Ron DeSantis found himself in hot water after he criticized former President Donald Trump's remarks on immigration, saying his GOP rival’s comments didn’t help “move the ball forward” on border issues.

The 77-year-old leading Republican presidential contender was addressing supporters in New Hampshire on Saturday, December 16, when he warned that undocumented immigrants were 'poisoning the blood of our country'.

“They let — I think the real number is 15, 16 million people into our country. When they do that, we have a lot of work to do. They’re poisoning the blood of our country,” Trump told the crowd at a rally.

“That’s what they’ve done. They poison mental institutions and prisons all over the world, not just in South America, not just in three or four countries that we think about, but all over the world,” he continued.

Trump's comments sparked a new round of criticism, with critics comparing him to Adolf Hitler, who coined the phrase "blood poisoning" in his treatise "Mein Kampf," which denounced immigration and racial mixing.

What did Ron DeSantis say about Donald Trump’s remarks?

In an interview this week with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Republican presidential candidate DeSantis was questioned about his response to Trump's recent remarks on undocumented immigrants.

The 45-year-old Florida Governor responded that the remarks weren’t helpful in terms of attacking President Joe Biden's border policies.

"When you start talking about using those types of terms, I don’t think that that helps us move the ball forward. I would not put it in those terms," DeSantis said in a clip from the interview, which is scheduled to air in full on Thursday, according to NBC News.

Another Republican presidential candidate, Nikki Haley, gave a similar response when asked about Trump's statements in an interview on Wednesday.

The former UN ambassador told the Des Moines Register that the former president’s remark is “just not helpful. It’s not constructive. It’s not necessary.”

Since then, Trump has reaffirmed his remarks, telling supporters in Iowa on Tuesday that those entering the nation illegally are "destroying the blood of our country."

He further downplayed being compared to Hitler, claiming to have "never read Mein Kampf" and to have understood Hitler's usage of the "blood poisoning" statement "in a much different way."

Internet reacts to Ron DeSantis' remarks

After DeSantis’ interview clip surfaced on social media, many users slammed him for criticizing Trump. “I'm really starting to hate that guy,” one user stated.

“DeSantis has destroyed his political career in just 2 days,” another user slammed the Florida Governor. “Ron who?” a user mocked.

“How about you don’t give Democrats rope to hang you with and then you just remove the illegal aliens. Why is that a bad take? Because he’s criticizing your idol? This is why we lose,” one user fumed.

“I can’t believe this is the way he wants to end his campaign,” one user said while another wrote, “The bobble says more than anything that comes out of his mouth.”

“Dude literally shipped humans like cattle to Martha’s Vineyard - he should really sit this one out,” one user said.

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.