DES MOINES, Iowa (NewsNation) — The GOP presidential primary race is heating up in Iowa as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis aims to dethrone former President Donald Trump, who currently leads in the polls.
In his very first official campaign swing, DeSantis touted his conservative wins as governor in the party’s de facto home base.
DeSantis made about five subtle jabs at the former president on Tuesday night during his first campaign event in Des Moines.
Trump has been relentlessly attacking DeSantis since the Florida governor entered the race for the Republican nomination.
DeSantis didn’t mention Trump by name until the press conference that followed his speech, telling NewsNation about his more aggressive approach with Trump on the campaign trail.
“I am going to counterpunch, I am going to fight back on it. I am going to focus my fire on Biden, and I think he [Trump] should do the same. He gives Biden a free pass,” DeSantis told NewsNation. “I’m going to defend my state, I’m going to defend the people of my state, and I’m going to defend what we’ve been able to do to really put points on the board.”
In his speech, which lasted about an hour, he spoke mostly about what he was able to accomplish in Florida; including banning purchases of farmland by China, banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, appointing seven conservative justices, banning sanctuary cities and sending undocumented immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard.
He said he was most proud of his stance in schools to “educate not indoctrinate,” defending his decision to ban critical race theory from public schools. That ban includes prohibiting educators from teaching certain topics related to race and eliminating what he called “gender ideology” in schools, which stopped schools from teaching gender identity or sexual orientation to kids.
DeSantis also added that parents are going to “rise up in 2024.”
The Florida governor pledged to take on Washington elites and deliver results “head-on.”
One voter told NewsNation after DeSantis’ speech that he liked Desantis’ idea to fill Washington with more people from across the country who look like the rest of the country.
DeSantis talked about “cleaning out the swamp,” which is something that voters heard from Trump back in the early 2016 days.
Trump’s campaign sent an email during DeSantis’ speech last night taking another hit at DeSantis saying, “He is a failure for Iowa” and pointed to the latest poll in which Trump is leading over the Florida governor.
DeSantis also received some criticism for how he handled the press conference after his speech, with some reporters claiming the Florida governor had a list of pre-selected reporters to call on.
However, NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer — who was a reporter that DeSantis called on — said the reporters called on raised their hands like everyone else, confirming that DeSantis was unaware of the questions the reporters he called on were going to ask and there were no indications that they were going to be called on.
The Trump campaign also hit back at this rumor, saying DeSantis is not ready for the major leagues.
While DeSantis’ campaign continues in Iowa Wednesday, Trump is also scheduled to arrive in Iowa later in the day and is also expected to make a media appearance.