DeSantis Taken Aback When NBC Reporter Drops Cold Dose Of Reality — ‘You’re Down By 30 Points’ To Trump
NBC News reporter Gabe Gutierrez stunned Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis by bluntly reminding him just how far behind ex-President Donald Trump he is.
DeSantis is focusing his efforts on Iowa, where he gave a speech Friday night at the 2023 Lincoln Dinner hosted by the Republican Party of Iowa in Des Moines, where many other candidates including ex-President Donald Trump were on the bill.
A recent Fox Business Network poll of the state had some rather discouraging results for the Florida governor:
In Iowa:
Trump … 46%
DeSantis … 16%
TIM SCOTT …11%
VIVEK RAMASWAMY … 6%
NIKKI HALEY … 5%
On Friday night’s edition of NBC Nightly News, the program’s package on Gutierrez and his report on the DeSantis effort in Iowa included a brutal exchange in which Gutierrez interrupts DeSantis with some hard reality, and DeSantis pauses for a moment before giving the classic rebuttal “Says you!”:
GOV. RON DESANTIS: If we make it about the vision for the future, we’re going to win. Obviously, with me as the nominee, you know, we’re going to focus on Biden’s failures and our vision for the future. That’s what the election will be about. If Donald Trump is the nominee, it’s going to be about all those other issues.
GABE GUTIERREZ: With all due respect, Governor, you’re down by 30 points, though.
GOV. RON DESANTIS: (PAUSE) Well, no, I mean, that… Says you! I mean, I can tell you, we’ve been in Iowa. I’m the one showing up at all these places. We’re signing up people day after day here in Iowa.
That jarring record-scratch sound effect you heard there was actually in your head.
The 2024 Republican primary picture for DeSantis isn’t much better nationally, as Trump leads the entire GOP field by between 20 and 39 points — although DeSantis is the runner-up in pretty much all of the polls.
Watch above via NBC Nightly News.
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