DeSantis in Iowa Warns of GOP ‘Culture of Losing' as Weather Sidelines Trump's Event in the State DeSantis in Iowa Warns of GOP ‘Culture of Losing' as Weather Sidelines Trump's Event in the State Warning of a Republican “culture of losing,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sought Saturday to weaken former President Donald Trump's grip on the GOP as he courted voters in battleground Iowa.
DeSantis, expected to announce his 2024 presidential campaign any day, briefly flipped burgers and pork chops at a picnic fundraiser in Sioux Center that drew hundred conservatives to the northwest corner of the state. At the podium, he highlighted his willingness to embrace conservative cultural fights and sprinkled his remarks with indirect jabs at Trump.
“Governing is not about entertaining. Governing is not about building a brand or talking on social media and virtue signaling,” said DeSantis, who wore a blue button-down shirt without a tie or jacket. “It’s ultimately about winning and producing results.”
Trump, a candidate since November, had hoped to demonstrate his political strength with a large outdoor rally in Des Moines, the capital, later in the day, but he canceled the event due to a tornado warning.
Voters in the state are sizing up DeSantis and Trump, two Republican powerhouses who are among a half dozen GOP candidates already in the race or expected to announce imminently. Trump is well ahead of his rivals in early national polls, while DeSantis is viewed widely as the strongest potential challenger.
Trump was hoping to return to the comfort of the campaign stage after a tumultuous week..........
................DeSantis has burnished his reputation as a conservative governor willing to push hard for conservative policies and even take on a political fight with Disney, which he highlighted in Sioux Center. But so far, he hasn't shown the same zest for taking on Trump, who has been almost singularly focused on tearing down DeSantis for months.
On Saturday, DeSantis avoided Trump's legal entanglements or his falsehoods about the 2020 election, but he highlighted the GOP’s recent string of electoral losses. He did not say it explicitly, but the Republican Party has struggled in every national election since Trump's 2016 victory. ....................
https://apnews.com/article/trump-desantis-iowa-2024-c2d56a9fec898b90614864904fc1bedb