Fox News host Martha MacCallum asked Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida Wednesday about his chances in the upcoming 2024 primaries with Trump holding a significant lead in the polls.
DeSantis trails Trump in New Hampshire by 28 percentage points at 19% to the former president’s 47%, according to a new Saint Anselm College Survey Center poll. MacCallum pressed DeSantis about his declining poll numbers after he held an event in the state.
“You were just in New Hampshire,” MacCallum said. “New polling shows the former president at 47%. You’re at 19%, which is a little lower than prior to this. Christie, Haley and Scott picked up a point. Are you frustrated by the polling you’re seeing so far?”
DeSantis responded that his campaign planned on focusing on Biden, saying that “Republicans need to win elections again” and that voters should “stay tuned.” MacCallum tried to direct the conversation back to New Hampshire, saying “I understand, sir. But you have to –” before DeSantis cut her off.
“What I’m saying, Martha, when we were in New Hampshire, New Hampshire voters want to meet you,” DeSantis said. “They want to see you. They’re not going to say ‘I’m pulling for this person’ without doing it. We’re building support. People are appreciative of my story and philosophy. We’ll get it done, this is a long road and Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
MacCallum continued to press DeSantis on how he planned to overcome such a gap, saying that Trump is “dominant right now and a lot of people would like to knock him off.” She also pointed to Trump’s comments criticizing the Florida governor for hosting an event in New Hampshire on the same day that he did.
“He didn’t appreciate that,” MacCallum noted. “What do you say to him about that?”
DeSantis said Trump’s reaction was “bizarre” and that “it’s a big state,” before pointing out that the primaries were still a long way off.
“A lot of voters will pay more attention in the fall and the winter,” DeSantis said. “That’s just the reality. Our goal is to build the type of operation we need, introduce ourselves to as many people as we can when it goes to crunch time, be able to turn on the juice and get the job done. We’re doing that in all the early states and we have a better presence on the ground than any candidate has and we’ll continue to build that.”
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