First Read

DeSantis finally takes on Trump

The Florida governor put the former president in the crosshairs at Wednesday night's debate.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stands with wife Casey at the end of the FOX Business Republican Primary Debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on September 27, 2023 in Simi Valley, California.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stands with wife Casey at the end of the FOX Business Republican Primary Debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on September 27, 2023 in Simi Valley, California. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

By Tristan Wood

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Tristan Wood
By Tristan Wood
Staff Writer

After months of lightly criticizing or dancing around him, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finally set former President Donald Trump directly in his crosshairs during last night’s Republican presidential candidate debate. “Donald Trump is missing in action. He should be on this stage tonight. He owes it to you to defend his record, where they added $7.8 trillion to the debt,” DeSantis said.

The move is the latest progression in DeSantis’ ramping up against Trump as the ex-president’s lead in the polls grows larger and larger. Earlier this month, he attacked the former president’s age and his COVID-19 response. Last night, he honed in on Trump’s dodging of the debates and his more centrist stance on abortion than most of the rest of the Republican field.

Besides the Trump attack, DeSantis again relied primarily on referencing his record in Florida throughout the debate. Whether it was legislation targeting the Chinese Communist Party or suspending liberal prosecutors, he continued on his campaign’s sustained message to ‘make America Florida.’ So far, that message has not caught fire in the primary contest as his campaign loses donors and is hemorrhaging support.

On social media, DeSantis rapid response director Christina Pushaw complained that no questions about COVID-19 were asked during the debate, that DeSantis wasn’t allowed to respond to an attack from Mike Pence, and that the Daily Caller left DeSantis off a debate winner poll. She also posted that she believes Fox News is biased against DeSantis. “The Establishment is so scared of DeSantis. As they should be,” she wrote.

This is First Up, an excerpt from City & State's daily morning newsletter, First Read. To subscribe for free, please visit our newsletters page. 

NEXT STORY: Gun rights group demands return to open carry in Florida

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