Ron DeSantis quiet on Trump indictment as he faces conservatives in Trump country
- Speaking to Nevada Republicans for the first time as a presidential candidate, the Florida governor said the US ‘is off the rails’ and ‘insanity is reigning supreme’
- DeSantis made no direct mention of the federal indictment of chief Republican rival Donald Trump, who is facing charges for mishandling classified documents
The US “is off the rails,” the Republican governor said. “Insanity is reigning supreme.”
“We’re going to end this weaponisation of government once and for all,” said DeSantis, donning an untucked short-sleeve shirt from a podium adorned with bales of hay and bull horns.
The comments come as the Republicans’ crowded 2024 presidential class grapples with how to respond to Trump’s recent indictment. While some Republicans have raised serious concerns about the charges, DeSantis has largely ignored the situation, touching on it only generally by attacking the Justice Department.
Looking up at Trump in many polls, it is unclear if DeSantis can catch Trump by avoiding one of the dominant issues in the race.
The debate was playing out as DeSantis courted more than 2,000 conservatives, many Trump loyalists among them, who gathered for an annual Basque Fry under a blazing sun at a western Nevada ranch.
