Ron DeSantis promised a mob in northwest Florida that he would tire Joe Biden on the primary campaign trail as he berated the president for going on vacation before inspecting the Maui wildfires.
The governor of Florida was literally home as he received a warm welcome from a community of military and veterans on Okaloosa Island, Florida for his pre-debate party the day before he leaves for Milwaukee.
“You know, just a thought experiment: If we had a Republican president who, in the midst of these fires and their aftermath, decided not to take action to help the victims, but to sit on the beach, what would the media say? if they tried?’ DeSantis posed.
Answering his own question, he said the media and Democrats would “scream bloody murder.”
While DeSantis was speaking to Florida supporters, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden landed in Maui to see firsthand the extent of destruction from the wildfires out of control.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a pre-debate party Monday in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, where he gave his stump speech to a very friendly crowd of supporters before heading to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the first GOP debate of the cycle
DeSantis slammed Biden for going to Lake Tahoe for a weekend vacation before visiting the victims and mapping the damage from the Maui wildfires. Pictured: President Joe Biden receives a Hawaiian lei Monday at a community engagement event
But before heading to the island-only nation, Biden stopped over the weekend for a vacation in Lake Tahoe, staying Friday night through Monday morning at billionaire Tom Steyer’s home in the posh Glenbrook community.
The first couple rented the home for “fair market value,” the White House said. Steyer was one of several Democrats who ran in the 2020 presidential primary and ultimately dropped out.
The death toll in Maui rose to 114 this weekend and more than 1,000 residents are still reported missing.
Biden faced intense criticism for his lack of response to the Maui wildfires, with Republicans denouncing him for giving more attention and aid to foreign issues, such as the war in Ukraine, than to domestic ones.
Desantis was on his home turf Monday speaking at The Gulf, a multi-purpose venue on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, described on its website as a “bayside hangout for seafood and cocktails.”
Panhandle area residents were excited to have their beloved governor hold the event before his first GOP primary debate in his home state.
Hundreds sat under umbrellas, watched from balconies, and stood on lawns, almost all of them sporting a DeSantis 2024 sticker, wearing his shirts or hats or generally dressed patriotically, red, white, and blue.
DeSantis and seven other Republican presidential candidates are busy preparing for the first GOP debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Wednesday. Former President Donald Trump easily qualified for the debate, but will not participate.
If he wins the nomination, DeSantis vowed to lead Biden across the country so he can’t “hide in the basement,” as he did during his largely virtual 2020 campaign amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Here’s the point, I’m not going to give Biden a rest,” DeSantis told several hundred supporters gathered to hear him speak at a venue overlooking the Choctawhatchee Bay. “We are going to run him across the country, we are not going to stop. We’re going to show energy, we’re going to show decisiveness.’
He added, “We’re going to show a stark contrast to the American people between someone who shouldn’t be in office anymore versus someone who will spit nails on day one and get the job done for you.”
Biden flew to Lake Tahoe on Friday to stay at billionaire Democrat Tom Steyer’s home in the posh Glenbrook community, where the first couple paid “market value” for their vacation, according to the White House
Trump supporters lined up outside the DeSantis debate broadcast event in Fort Walton Beach on Monday to protest his performance
DeSantis was noticeably more relaxed speaking in Florida to a crowd familiar with his accomplishments.
He vowed to lead Biden across the country in 2024 as a contrast to his 2020 campaign from his basement studio setup.
“So this is what we need to be sure of in 2024: I’m not going to let him sit in his basement and let him get away with it again, we’re going to chase him across this country in rags,” DeSantis said.
We’re going to hold him accountable for his failures. We are going to show the American people that there is a better way. And we know there’s a better way.’
Next, the governor heads to Milwaukee to participate in a debate where he expects to take most of the heat as the candidate with the most votes on stage.
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