Topline
Former President Donald Trump lashed out Thursday against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, after some outlets propped up DeSantis and blamed Trump for the GOP’s worse-than-expected midterm performance, in the latest sign of growing animosity from the ex-president over DeSantis’ rising political stardom.
Then-Republican nominee Donald Trump gestures at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, on … [+]
Key Facts
In a lengthy, rambling statement, Trump took several direct shots at DeSantis, calling him “an average REPUBLICAN Governor with great Public Relations,” and once again took credit for DeSantis’ rise, claiming the then-congressman was “politically dead” in 2017 before getting a Trump endorsement during his bid for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
The former president also lashed out at DeSantis for refusing to rule out a 2024 presidential run against Trump when asked by reporters, saying in his statement Thursday, “in terms of loyalty and class, that’s really not the right answer.”
Trump’s statement did not mention Murdoch by name, but he suggested brands controlled by Murdoch and his family—including Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post—are coordinating coverage to hurt his 2024 presidential chances and boost DeSantis, saying to his supporters, “They will keep coming after us.”
Murdoch brand swipes at Trump include an unflattering portrayal of the former president as “Trumpty Dumpty” on the cover of the New York Post on Thursday (a day after it ran a favorable image of DeSantis with the headline “DeFuture”), while the Wall Street Journal published an editorial Wednesday naming Trump as “the Republican Party’s biggest loser,” the same day Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz–a former congressman and longtime Trump backer–said on air that Republicans “don’t like all the drama” that comes with Trump.
Trump has ramped up attacks recently on DeSantis, a Trump loyalist who the former president has given the derogatory nickname “Governor Ron DeSanctimonious,” and made what appeared to be a veiled threat against the governor Tuesday, saying, “If he did run [for president in 2024]
, I will tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering.”
The relationship between Murdoch and Trump has soured in recent years, especially after Fox News called Arizona for President Joe Biden on election night in 2020 even as other outlets waited and Trump made claims of election fraud.
Crucial Quote
“This is just like 2015 and 2016, a Media Assault (Collusion!), when Fox News fought me to the end until I won, and then they couldn’t have been nicer or more supportive,” Trump said.
What To Watch For
Trump says he’s planning to make a “big announcement” Tuesday, when he’s expected to launch his 2024 presidential campaign.
Key Background
Right-wing pundits loathed worse-than-expected Republican results in the midterms, with many blaming Trump’s continued hold over the party for driving turnout against the GOP, calming an expected “red wave” into little more than a ripple. Republicans appear to still be favorites to take the House, but many observers think the GOP will win fewer House seats than expected, and Trump-endorsed candidates like Mehmet Oz (who ran for Senate in Pennsylvania) and Tudor Dixon (who vied for governor in Michigan) lost to Democratic opponents. DeSantis represented one of the few shining bright spots for Republicans on Tuesday, as he cruised to victory in the biggest landslide win for any Florida governor in 40 years. DeSantis won 62 of Florida’s 65 counties and carried every demographic group considered key to Republican success, including suburban voters, women and the Hispanic community. The governor even won Miami-Dade County, a heavily Hispanic area that is the seven most-populous county in the U.S., which Republicans have been hoping to flip for years. Many conservative commentators believe DeSantis is more palatable for independents and moderate voters, who have long been turned off by Trump’s polarizing attacks and personal baggage. DeSantis would also offer an influx of youth into Republican leadership—the governor is 44 years old, while Trump is 76.
Further Reading
Trump Says It Would Be a Mistake for DeSantis to Run for the White House in 2024 (Wall Street Journal)
Not A Red Wave But A Ripple: Biggest Surprises From Election Night (Forbes)
Miami-Dade Goes Red: GOP Scores Massive Midterm Election Wins In Once-Democratic Stronghold (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/11/10/trump-castigates-ron-desantis-and-fox-news-as-conservative-outlets-blame-him-for-midterm-results/