Wednesday 16 November 2022 05:56 PM DeSantis brushes off suggestions of a 'brewing' Republican 'civil war' after ... trends now
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis brushed off concerns of a Republican 'civil war' on Wednesday - before going on to criticize the GOP's 'substandard' midterm performance outside of the Sunshine State.
It comes one day after Donald Trump kicked off the 2024 election cycle - while the final ballots of the 2022 midterms are still being tallied - by announcing a third presidential bid on Tuesday night.
Now all eyes are on DeSantis, who's emerged as an early frontrunner for the Republican ticket.
He insisted on Wednesday that his focus is on 'working hard' to continue Florida's success, though he hasn't not ruled out challenging Trump in a primary - much to the former president's fury.
The governor also suggested Republicans should be focused on the upcoming Georgia runoff Senate race rather than 2024 in what appears to be a veiled shot at the former president's rush to launch a campaign.
During a press conference on disaster relief efforts in Lee County, DeSantis deflected when asked if he fears 'that there may be a civil war brewing within the GOP.'
'We just finished an election, okay? People just need to chill out a little bit on some of this stuff,' the governor said.
In a sign he's thinking about the national party's direction, DeSantis referenced the looming December 6 election between Democratic incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican ex-NFL star Herschel Walker.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference on disaster relief in Lee County the day after Donald Trump announced he's running for president on the state's other coast at his Palm Beach residence
Some of Trump's advisers and GOP critics had cited the runoff as a reason for him to delay his planned November 15 announcement, fearing it could make the race into a repeat of 2021 when Georgia lost two Senate seats to the Democrats.
'We have this Georgia runoff coming, which is very important for Republicans to win,' DeSantis said, calling Florida a 'bright spot' in an otherwise bleak electoral outlook.
Trump's campaign kickoff also comes despite a growing list of fellow Republicans who hold him
