Ron DeSantis’ world tour continues in South Korea as ex-president takes a 37-point lead
The likelihood of a bitter confrontation between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis seems increasingly likely as the former president continues to criticize his former ally and potential future primary rival.
Despite the emerging rivalry between the two Republican stars, a new Morning Consult survey released Tuesday shows Trump as much as 37 percent ahead of Florida’s governor, who has recently brushed off declining polls.
DeSantis will continue his foreign trade tour in South Korea on Wednesday, where he will meet Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and other leaders. It comes on the same day that President Joe Biden is hosting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol for a state dinner at the White House.
Meanwhile, Trump goes on the offensive against DeSantis for spending so much time outside of Florida in recent months.
The former president’s campaign released a graphic calendar on Tuesday showing the days when DeSantis toured the country or the world — accusing him of traveling at Florida taxpayers’ expense.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continued his international trade tour with a stop in South Korea on Wednesday, where he met with the country’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo (right) and other politicians and officials
Comes as Donald Trump’s campaign attacked the governor for using Florida taxpayer dollars to travel out of state — including while traveling internationally
Currently, DeSantis is on an international trade mission, which began in Japan earlier this week. He has now made his way to South Korea and will continue on to Israel, where he will deliver a keynote address on Thursday at an event marking the 75th anniversary of the Jewish nation’s founding.
The Governor of Florida ends his international tour with a stop in the United Kingdom to meet with British Secretary of State James Cleverly and a mix of other business and government leaders.
While in Japan, DeSantis responded to an NBC poll that showed him 15 points behind Trump by saying it doesn’t matter if he falls because he’s not officially in the running.
“I’m not running so we’ll see if and when that changes,” DeSantis told reporters in Tokyo, Japan as he stood next to his wife and Florida’s first lady Casey DeSantis.
However, a new poll from Morning Consult shows Trump’s lead widening.
An impressive 58 percent of Republican primary voters said they would vote for Trump, compared to the 21 percent who favor DeSantis.
No other GOP candidate earned double digits, with former Vice President Mike Pence, who has not yet announced a bid, coming in third with 7 percent support.
Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign released an image showing the days DeSantis has not been in Florida, along with the accusation, “Ron DeSantis has spent half his time campaigning for president outside of Florida over the past two months.. …while the Florida taxpayer picks up the bill!’
However, the DeSantis gubernatorial office opposed these claims.
“The state does not coordinate or schedule political travel, nor does the taxpayer fund political travel,” DeSantis’ deputy press secretary Jeremy Redfern told DailyMail.com.
He added, “As for the current trip, it is a trade mission by Enterprise Florida and, like the last one, is not paid for at taxpayer expense.”
DeSantis has spent the past two months criss-crossing the country to some early primary contest states under the guise of a book tour. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that he’s likely to be a presidential candidate for the foreseeable future.
In March, DeSantis spent seven days outside Florida on a book tour to Texas, California, Alabama, Iowa, Nevada and Georgia to promote his new memoir The Courage to Be Free: Florida’s Blueprint for America’s Revival.
He ramped up travel in April with double stops. Domestically, he went to New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, New Hampshire, Washington, DC, South Carolina, Utah, and Texas before embarking on his international trade tour to four different countries.
Trump has only gained ground in recent polls, with the latest Morning Consult poll showing him ahead of DeSantis by 37%, with 58% of Republican primary voters saying they would vote for the former president
DeSantis has remained relatively neutral on the Trump front as the former president has launched several attacks against him.
But the governor finally spoke up about the soured relationship with his once close ally, saying it was all downhill after the 2022 midterm elections.
“Last time I interviewed President Trump, I was there in 2018, and I always thought of you two as friends,” Fox News’ Sean Hannity told the governor in an interview Monday night. “And I asked him a very simple question, I asked him, I said, ‘What happened?’ And I think it’s only fair to ask you the same question. What do you think happened?’
“You know, I loved supporting him when he was president,” DeSantis began his virtual interview from Tokyo. “We worked very hard for his re-election in Florida, and I’ve always had a good relationship with him.”
“And then, when the midterm elections came around, he started shooting at me,” the Florida governor explained.
“I didn’t really do anything for it except do a good job,” DeSantis added. ‘But that’s fine. I mean, Sean, you know, when you make things happen, you receive income from various causes. So that’s just the nature of the business.’
“I’m happy to stand strong and do what’s right,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Trump released his first proper attack ad against DeSantis on Monday night. The narrator explained how the former president “saved” him from losing his 2018 gubernatorial bid in the Sunshine State.
“I want to thank our president for standing by me when it wasn’t necessarily the smart thing to do,” DeSantis says in the ad during his post-election victory speech in 2018.
The narrator then says, “You’re welcome, Ron. Unfortunately, instead of being thankful, DeSantis is now attacking the man who saved his career. Isn’t it about time DeSantis remembered how he got to where he is today?’