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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump accuses Republican Ron DeSantis of disloyalty for telling truth about Puerto Rico Deaths
The president has told close associates in recent days that he views DeSantis who won his Aug. 28 GOP primary thanks to Trumps strong support as profoundly disloyal for distancing himself from the presidents assertion that the Hurricane Maria death toll was inflated by Democrats for political purposes.
Ron DeSantis is committed to standing with the Puerto Rican community, especially after such a tragic loss of life. He doesnt believe any loss of life has been inflated, the DeSantis campaign said last week after Trump tweeted that "3000 people did not die in Puerto Rico.
Trumps comments unnerved Republicans across Florida, which is home to a burgeoning Puerto Rican population, leading DeSantis and other Republicans including Senate hopeful Rick Scott to publicly break with the presidents remark.
DeSantiss reaction, however, particularly piqued the president. Trump views the former congressman as politically indebted to him, people familiar with the presidents thinking say, because he believes DeSantis owes his electoral success to him. The president has privately maintained that he was correct with his comments about the hurricanes death toll, and has expressed frustration that DeSantis crossed him on the matter.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/18/trump-ron-desantis-hurricane-maria-828005
Leghorn21
(13,524 posts)Thanks, k!!
Guy Whitey Corngood
(26,501 posts)Tommy_Carcetti
(43,182 posts)....
Power 2 the People
(2,437 posts)FSogol
(45,485 posts)sellitman
(11,606 posts)Gothmog
(145,242 posts)Cha
(297,240 posts)a repub in Florida tells the truth for a freaking change.
And, the US M$M acts like this is all normal shit.
DisfFuckingLoyalty to a LIAR.
Thanks Goth
tableturner
(1,682 posts)Given Trump's 80% approval rate among Republicans, DeSantis HAD to be seen as very close to Trump during the primary. Let's face it: Trump's support for DeSantis almost instantly changed that race.
Now.....he has to skate away a bit in an effort to get the votes of the same middle ground that determines almost all of these elections. He can't go too far, or he risks lowering the enthusiasm of his base.
This is perfect for him! He gets to go against Trump on an issue (only one!) especially important in his state, while hewing to the Trump line otherwise. Now, DeSantis looks like he is NOT a Trump puppet, and he gets to do it on behalf of Puerto Rico, in an effort to get a few more percentage points of the Hispanic vote, while looking not quite as radical as before to center/right Republicans and educated suburbanites.
Like I wrote above, this really IS perfect for him!
0rganism
(23,954 posts)could very well be true
either way, our candidates need to be very careful when talking about the Puerto Rican death toll figures and Trump's very intentional (public) ignorance thereof, definitely don't want to be viewed as gloating or taking political advantage of large-scale death. only Republicans can get away with that.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)a majority of whom support Republicans. That may seem insane, but most are conservative. They of course explain DeSantis's position. When he doesn't need their votes for a while his positions will be different.