DeSantis takes a shot at Trump as 2024 rivals visit Iowa

FFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis discussed how the GOP could win in the future during a visit to Iowa on Saturday, taking a slight shot at former President Donald Trump in doing so.

DeSantis said during his visit that the Republican party must “reject the culture of losing that has infected our party in recent years.” The statement appeared to refer to Trump’s repeated claims that the 2020 election was stolen, which Trump has insisted on since leaving the White House in 2021.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis greets members of the public during a fundraising picnic for U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, Saturday, May 13, 2023, in Sioux Center, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Charlie Neibergall/AP

“The time for excuses is over,” DeSantis said. “If we make the 2024 election a referendum on Joe Biden and his failures and if we provide a positive alternative for the future of this country, Republicans will win on every count.”

Florida’s governor warned that if Republicans “focus the election on the past,” Democrats are likely to keep winning, adding that it would be “very difficult to recover from this loss.”

DeSantis made his speech in Iowa during the Feenstra Family Picnic hosted by Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA). Trump had planned to hold a traditional campaign rally in Des Moines on Saturday, but it was canceled due to the weather.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a fundraising picnic for U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, Saturday, May 13, 2023, in Sioux Center, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Charlie Neibergall/AP

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DeSantis has not yet announced whether he will run for president in 2024, though many consider him Trump’s biggest potential challenger for the GOP nomination.

On Thursday, Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair and House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl, two high-profile Iowa Republicans, endorsed DeSantis for a potential run in 2024. Sinclair describing DeSantis as “head and shoulders” above any challenger in the Republican primary, noting that “he’s an easy support for me.”

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