UNITED STATES NEWS

DeSantis kicks off presidential campaign in Iowa, signals he plans to go harder after Trump

May 29, 2023, 9:21 PM | Updated: May 30, 2023, 6:56 pm

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — Calling for “a revival of American greatness,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday kicked off a multistate campaign blitz aimed at establishing himself as the Republican Party’s leading next-generation culture warrior while bolstering his place as Donald Trump’s chief rival.

In a fiery speech in Iowa during his first campaign event for the 2024 GOP nomination, he called American decline avoidable and offered himself as its alternative.

“Our country is going in the wrong direction. We can see it and we can feel it,” DeSantis told about 500 people in a evangelical Christian church auditorium in suburban Des Moines plastered with red, white and blue signs proclaiming a “Great American Comeback.” Hundreds more watched from an overflow room.

While DeSantis jabbed at Trump indirectly during his hourlong speech, he pointedly critiqued the former president while talking to reporters and a small audience afterward.

DeSantis lashed out at Trump’s suggestion that New York’s pandemic response was better than Florida’s, calling it “detached from reality.”

“That criticism is ridiculous,” DeSantis said. “But it is an indication that the former president would double down on his lockdowns.”

Stepping back, DeSantis also noted that he never attacked Trump publicly while Trump was the president.

“When we disagreed, I never bashed him publicly because he was taking all this incoming from the media, the left, and even some Republicans. And the whole collusion was a total farce. And he was treated very, very poorly. And that bothered me, and it still bothers me to be honest.

“So, I never really would air those disagreements,” DeSantis added. “Well, now he’s attacking me over some of these disagreements, but I think he’s doing it in a way that the voters are going to side with me.”

Trump, who was already scheduled to be in Iowa on Thursday, added a couple of stops in the state to his schedule for Wednesday, ensuring he would overlap with the Florida governor for a time. He will tape a radio appearance in Des Moines before attending a GOP legislative dinner.

DeSantis’ appearance came six days after a stumbling online announcement that raised questions about his readiness for the national stage. Beyond the glitchy launch, DeSantis opens his campaign looking up at Trump in the polls amid persistent questions about the Florida governor’s ability to connect with voters in person.

The Tuesday evening stop at Eternity Church in Clive was a conspicuous nod to the evangelical Christians who wield outsize sway in Iowa’s Republican presidential caucuses. He met with a handful of influential evangelical pastors before the suburban event, as he has during previous Iowa visits.

But the church event was an opportunity to meet the newly declared candidate just as he has been stepping up his criticism of Trump, who maintains a base of support in Iowa and remains the heavy favorite eight months before the first votes are cast.

Kim Riesberg, who attended DeSantis’ campaign kickoff with her husband, said she voted for Trump in 2016 and in 2020 but is not necessarily committed to him this time around. They wanted to attend because they are interested in DeSantis’ platform, she said

DeSantis is a “little softer,” the 59-year-old of Dallas Center, Iowa, said. And “more appealing to the masses.”

Since Trump and DeSantis are competing for the same job, she understands it might be a bitter race. But “at some point, I would like to see them on the same team.”

DeSantis received some of his most enthusiastic responses from the crowd Tuesday when he leaned into cultural issues, particularly gender identity, which he has targeted with legislation in Florida.

“It is wrong for a teacher to be telling a young student that they may have been born in the wrong body or that their gender is a choice,” DeSantis said.

In Florida, he said, teachers have been banned from having students choose their own pronouns. “We are not competing in the pronoun sweepstakes in the state of Florida,” he said.

Jack Spoonemore, of Adel, Iowa, attended DeSantis’ appearance at his church while eager to see what energy the Florida governor would bring. The 20-year-old supported Trump in 2020, but he said he’s interested in perusing other candidates.

“I’m not a huge fan of the shade,” he added of Trump’s attacks on DeSantis.

United States News

Associated Press

Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Secretary of State Antony Blinken; former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. ___ NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sens. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, and Chris Murphy, D-Conn. ___ CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Shalanda Young, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget; Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and James […]

28 minutes ago

Associated Press

Maine man dies while checking thickness of lake ice, wardens say

A man who was checking the thickness of ice on a lake in the Maine wilderness crashed into the icy water and drowned on Friday, game wardens said. Walter Demmons, 62 of Milford, was drilling holes with a friend to check the ice thickness while preparing to fish in Quakish Lake when they heard the […]

48 minutes ago

Associated Press

Tennessee Supreme Court blocks decision to redraw state’s Senate redistricting maps

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s highest court on Friday temporarily blocked a lower court’s decision that lawmakers must redraw the state’s Senate maps in a ruling that means the current legislative districts will likely remain in place for the 2024 elections. Late last month, a panel of judges ruled that the Republican-drawn map violated the […]

1 hour ago

Associated Press

Californian passes state bar exam at age 17 and is sworn in as an attorney

VISALIA, Calif. (AP) — A county prosecutor’s office says one of its law clerks passed the State Bar of California exam at age 17. The Tulare County District Attorney’s Office said this week that, according to research, Peter Park is the youngest person to pass the exam. The State Bar said Friday in an email […]

1 hour ago

File - Social worker Lupita Armijo-Garcia works at her desk in the Ottawa County, Mich., Department...

Associated Press

A ‘soft landing’ or a recession? How each one might affect America’s households and businesses

WASHINGTON (AP) — The solid hiring revealed in Friday’s jobs report for November, along with a raft of other recent economic data, is boosting hopes that the U.S. economy will achieve a “soft landing” next year rather than a widely feared recession. A so-called soft landing would occur if the economy slowed enough to bring […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

Boaters plead guilty in riverfront brawl; charge dismissed against riverboat co-captain

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Two white boaters on Friday pleaded guilty to harassment charges in connection with an Alabama riverfront braw l that drew national attention. The two men pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge as part of a plea deal, according to court records. The August riverfront melee in Montgomery drew national attention after […]

2 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

Follow @iamdamonallred...

Avoid a potential emergency and get your home’s heating and furnace safety checked

With the weather getting colder throughout the Valley, the best time to make sure your heating is all up to date is now. 

...

Dierdre Woodruff

Interest rates may have peaked. Should you buy a CD, high-yield savings account, or a fixed annuity?

Interest rates are the highest they’ve been in decades, and it looks like the Fed has paused hikes. This may be the best time to lock in rates for long-term, low-risk financial products like fixed annuities.

...

Desert Institute for Spine Care

Desert Institute for Spine Care (DISC) wants to help Valley residents address back, neck issues through awake spine surgery

As the weather begins to change, those with back issues can no longer rely on the dry heat to aid their backs. That's where DISC comes in.

DeSantis kicks off presidential campaign in Iowa, signals he plans to go harder after Trump