Ron DeSantis says he likes being the ‘underdog’ and refuses to set a target for the Iowa caucuses as he slams Trump for ‘destroying’ the state’s governor

Governor Ron DeSantis is touting his “underdog” status during tonight’s Iowa caucuses and slamming Donald Trump for “destroying” Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds after she rejected him by endorsing the Florida governor.

DeSantis held a final media blitz in Iowa Monday morning to make his pitch to voters before the state’s caucuses kicked off at 8 p.m. ET.

‘I always like being the underdog. I mean, that’s true,” he said on Fox News.

DeSantis declined to detail what a “win” would look like for him, saying his campaign did “well” by traveling to all 99 counties and he expects to see “good results” when the election results come in.

Florida’s governor told host Steve Doocy on Fox & Friends in a final pitch to Iowa voters that he wants “all Republicans” to do well.

He was referring to former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s last-minute endorsement in support of his rival Nikki Haley on Sunday.

“I want all Republicans to do well. There is a Republican governor who has supported another candidate, but he is doing well. I’m not going to throw them away,” he explained.

‘I’m glad they’re doing it. I think every Republican should look at Governor Reynolds and say, ‘You know what? She gets the job done.”

‘I don’t think this is how Trump sees it. She didn’t support him, so he trashed her,” DeSantis criticized.

‘You can’t build a movement like that. You have to have a strong tent, and you have to have everyone who votes in the right direction, they have to be supported,” the governor continued.

“I’m glad she’s supporting me, I think it will make a difference,” he added.

“You give speeches at the caucus locations. Governor Reynolds has said I am one of the most effective leaders she has ever seen. That will be important to these people.’

As for his final speech to Republican voters in Iowa, he said he will change the country.

‘Donald Trump is running from his problems. Nikki Haley runs for office over donor issues. I manage four your problems, your family’s problems, and (will) only change this country.”

“We have to win again as Republicans. This is how you change this country,” he concluded.

Subzero temperatures aren’t stopping the 2024 Republican candidates from using their families to campaign with them in the middle of a winter storm in the days before the Iowa caucuses.

DeSantis and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have had their wives and young children join them on the campaign trail for large parts of the primary cycle.

But some other family members are also participating in events in the Hawkeye State as the primaries approach — including Donald Trump Jr. and the two adult children of former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

It’s clearly all hands on deck as surrogates and families descend on Iowa to await the first tangible results of the 2024 cycle.

Ramaswamy, 38, travels with his wife Apoorva – a 34-year-old throat surgeon – and their two children Karthik, three, and Arjun, one.

The 2024 hopeful’s mother also joined the family in Iowa to help with the grandchildren during some tougher campaign days ahead of the nation’s first primary on Monday.

Apoorva has also held her own events without her husband. She joined Moms for Liberty at the Iowa State Capitol building in Des Moines on Wednesday afternoon to talk about the challenges of parenthood in modern America.

Despite keeping her job as a surgeon in Ohio, Dr. Ramaswamy has played an increasingly important role in her husband’s campaign ahead of Monday’s caucuses.

Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis, 43, has been consistently on the road with her husband since the beginning, along with their three children: Madison, six; Bricklayer, five; and Mamie, three.

The former TV host, current stay-at-home mom and breast cancer survivor hosts several of her own events almost daily while her husband campaigns and handles gubernatorial duties.

They also organize joint events that often feature cameos from their children.

Mason was noticeably more present ahead of the caucus, appearing at almost every event with his parents, while the campaign says the two girls stayed warm.

Former Am. Haley’s husband Michael Haley is currently an Army officer.

Their two adult children, Rena, 25, and Nalin, 22, don’t appear on the trail often.