Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who officially announced his candidacy for next year's presidential election, is engaged in a battle of nerves with former President Donald Trump over the Republican presidential nomination. Trump showed irritation toward DeSantis, who is trying to differentiate himself by promoting the idea of being a "re-electable candidate."
Since officially announcing his presidential bid on the 24th of last month, Governor DeSantis has begun campaigning in early Republican primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire.
Governor DeSantis has spent much of his campaign criticizing Donald Trump's policies and targeting his past appearances on reality shows, pointing out that "leadership is not about entertainment."
He also emphasized repeatedly that "it really takes two terms (8 years) to get everything done as president," highlighting that unlike former President Trump, he is a candidate who can be re-elected.
DeSantis is leveraging the fact that Trump has already served one term and, even if elected in the 2024 presidential election, would only be able to serve four years as president, using his own re-election eligibility as a key differentiator.
Earlier, on the 22nd of last month before announcing his candidacy, he stated that if elected, he would be eligible for re-election and promised to firmly maintain a conservative-leaning structure in the federal Supreme Court during his term.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is giving a speech to supporters in Manchester, New Hampshire, on the 27th of last month (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the same day, President Trump visited Iowa, the first state in the Republican primary, to campaign and counter Governor DeSantis.
According to political media outlet The Hill, Trump said, "I saw DeSantis say, 'I have 8 years,' 'It will take 8 years,'" adding, "You have to vote against DeSantis because I can restore everything to the way it was before the Biden administration in 6 months." He continued, "Who wants to wait 8 years?" criticizing DeSantis's re-election candidacy theory.
Governor DeSantis responded to Trump's remarks by retorting, "Why didn't you do that during your first 4-year term?"
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