Ron DeSantis Brushes Off Trump’s Insults: ‘Call Me Whatever You Want As Long As You Call Me A Winner’

In a recent interview with Piers Morgan, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis finally addressed comments former President Donald Trump made against him. While discussing his perspective on Trump’s leadership style, DeSantis cited a difference in approach with COVID and personnel management as key factors.

“Well I think there’s a few things” DeSantis told Piers Morgan. The approach to COVID was different. I would have fired somebody like Fauci. I think he got way too big for his britches, and I think he did a lot of damage.”

“I also think just in terms of my approach to leadership,” DeSantis continued. “I get personnel in the Government who have the agenda of the people and share our agenda. You bring your own agenda in you’re gone. We’re just not gonna have that. So, the way we run the Government I think is no daily drama, focus on the big picture and put points on the board and I think that’s something that’s very important.”

The Florida Governor has been actively positioning himself as a potential 2024 candidate and that has put him in competition with former president Trump.

Trump has made efforts to slam DeSantis over recent days. On Truth Social, Trump said, “Ron DeSanctimonious will probably find out about FALSE ACCUSATIONS & FAKE STORIES sometime in the future, as he gets older, wiser, and better known.” Trump even implied that DeSantis was gay in another post on Truth Social.

“I don’t know how to spell the sanctimonious one,” DeSantis laughed. “I don’t really know what it means, but I kinda like it, it’s long, it’s got a lot of vowels. We’ll go with that, that’s fine. I mean you can call me whatever you want, just as long as you also call me a winner because that’s what we’ve been able to do in Florida, is put a lot of points on the board and really take this State to the next level.”

“To me, it’s just background noise,” DeSantis said. “It’s not important for me to be fighting with people on social media. It’s not accomplishing anything for the people I represent. So, we really just focus on knocking out victories, day after day, and if I got involved in all the under tow I would not be able to be an affective Governor. So, I don’t think it’s something that makes sense for me.”

“Things have changed a little bit, I guess. It is what it is.”

“We had a good relationship when I was a Congressman and I think one of the reasons he got to know me is because I saw the Russia collusion thing as a farce from the beginning. Very few people said that. We had a handful of us in Congress that were fighting back against that.”

He continued, “So, I would go on TV, and I would defend him when it wasn’t popular and when it was kinda politically risky, but I just thought it was the right thing to do and then I thought that he had good ideas for the country. And then when I became Governor, his last two years as President, we worked very well together. He had a place in Florida and worked well with us to serve our state.”

Piers Morgan shared this exchange about the breakup between DeSantis and Trump:

“You made a fatal error in your relationship with Donald Trump,” I suggested.

“What’s that?”

“You got too popular.”

DeSantis laughed loudly…

When I asked if he meant to be as censorious as he sounded when talking about Trump allegedly paying off porn stars, he doubled down and replied: “Well, there’s a lot of speculation about what the underlying conduct is. That is purported to be it, and the reality is that’s just outside my wheelhouse. I mean that’s just not something that I can speak to.”

The message was clear: I’m nothing like Trump when it comes to sleazy behavior.

And when I followed up by asking if personal conduct in a leader matters, he contrasted Trump to past presidents with a higher moral code.

“At the end of the day as a leader,” DeSantis said. “You really want to look to people like our Founding Fathers, like what type of character, it’s not saying that you don’t ever make a mistake in your personal life, but I think what type of character are you bringing? So, somebody who really set the standard is George Washington because he always put the Republic over his own personal interest. When we won the American Revolution, Washington surrendered his sword. [King[ George III said he’s the greatest man in the world if he gives up power. I think the person is more about how you handle your public duties and the kind of character you bring to that endeavor.”

The full interview with Gov. DeSantis airs Thursday on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” Fox Nation.