Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis trade jabs in duelling appearances on 2024 campaign trail
- The ex-president appeared in Iowa and invited the audience to ask him questions – something his chief Republican rival has seemed reluctant to do
- DeSantis, in New Hampshire, talked about needing two terms in the White House, a veiled reference to Trump, who can serve only one more if elected
Former US president Donald Trump kept up a steady drumbeat of criticism of his chief rival Ron DeSantis on Thursday, jumping immediately on remarks by the Florida governor on the campaign trail to try to highlight his own strength as the leading Republican presidential candidate.
Trump, appearing in Iowa as DeSantis campaigned in New Hampshire, made a point of telling about 200 members of a conservative club gathered at a Des Moines-area restaurant that they could ask him questions – an offer that came not long after DeSantis snapped at an Associated Press reporter who asked him why he did not take questions from voters at his events.
“A lot of politicians don’t take questions. They give a speech,” Trump said to the audience, many of whom wore red Make America Great Again hats espousing his political movement.
Trump also sought to capitalise off a remark by DeSantis that it felt like it would take two terms in the White House to really roll back the actions of the Biden administration – a veiled reference to Trump, who can only serve one more term.
“Who the hell wants to wait eight years?” Trump said Thursday, claiming he could unwind President Joe Biden’s policies within six months.
