唐纳德·特朗普加大了对罗恩·德桑蒂斯的攻击——对佛罗里达州州长和潜在的共和党竞选对手发表了一些迄今为止最严厉的公开评论。
“你要记得罗恩是保罗·瑞安特朗普周一在爱荷华州达文波特对人群说，他是RINO(只是名义上的共和党人)的失败者，”特朗普试图将众议院自由核心小组的创始成员德桑蒂斯塑造成MAGA前的共和党人，他反对乙醇，支持削减医疗保险和社会保障。
“罗姆尼——我不太喜欢米特罗姆尼，失去了他的选举老实说，罗恩让我想起了米特罗姆尼，”他说。
特朗普随后似乎直接对德桑蒂斯说:“所以，我不认为你在这里会做得很好。但我们会找到答案的。”
尽管最近德桑蒂斯还没有宣布参加白宫竞选旅游熟悉他的计划的消息人士告诉ABC新闻，尽管他私下向盟友暗示他打算在5月或6月开始竞选，但在爱荷华州和内华达州等关键的提前投票州。
德桑蒂斯被认为可能是特朗普的主要竞争对手，因为他在最近的一次竞选中仅略微落后于这位前总统的支持率得梅因注册的爱荷华州民意调查。
在特朗普的演讲中，知情人士曾表示，他将专注于教育，他发誓要削减对任何推行批判性种族理论或他所谓的“跨性别精神错乱”的学校的资金，或者有疫苗或口罩授权的学校的资金。他还再次表示，他将支持家长直接选举学校校长，并发誓如果当选，将解散教育部。
德桑蒂斯没有直接评论特朗普的攻击，但发布了一份自录音再现装置发出的高音在演讲之后，他谈到了教育问题，否认大学里的“政治灌输”。
特朗普说:“这些出版物说，特朗普仍然有很高的支持率，共和党选民基础在一次又一次的民意调查中击败了罗恩·德桑蒂斯，我正在以很大优势击败乔·拜登——这非常重要。”
这位前总统周一直接关注德桑蒂斯作为前国会议员的记录，并转向州长采取的其他立场。
特朗普攻击德桑蒂斯此前支持一项法案，该法案将立即结束可再生燃料标准(RFS ),他在2017年在国会任职时曾支持该法案。RFS要求特定比例的乙醇——爱荷华州的主要产业——成为国家燃料供应的一部分。
“好吧，记住这个——罗恩·德桑切斯。有人听说过Desanctus吗?不和谐的...罗恩·德桑切斯强烈反对乙醇。你知道吗?我们甚至不知道他是否参选，但我还是告诉你吧。如果他不参加竞选，我会说他在乙醇上很好，别担心，”特朗普在演讲中说。
“他强烈反对乙醇，并且处处与之抗争。他还会再做一次。因为早出来做事的人，那是他们去的地方。在政治上，但他在乙醇方面非常非常糟糕，”他说。
乙醇对爱荷华州的许多农民来说是一个关键问题。特朗普本人在担任总统期间也面临农民的批评，因为他给予一些小型炼油厂乙醇豁免，允许他们在燃料中掺入乙醇。然而，特朗普周一宣称自己是“最亲农民的总统”。
这位前总统还继续攻击德桑蒂斯在社会保障问题上的立场，称他“想要摧毁它，并投票反对它。”
“很多人不知道这一点。我想他们在过去的四周里已经发现了。特朗普说:“这可能是我们民调大幅上升的原因之一。他还投票决定大幅削减医疗保险。我不会增加医疗保险，也不会削减社会保障。”
2023年3月10日，佛罗里达州州长罗恩·德桑蒂斯首次前往提前投票的爱荷华州，在爱荷华州达文波特的节奏城赌场度假村进行巡回售书。
乔纳森·恩斯特/路透社
特朗普没有提到共和党对手妮基·黑利最近呼吁改变目前20多岁的美国人的退休年龄，并限制美国富人的社会保障和医疗保险福利。
这位前南卡罗来纳州州长上周在爱荷华州的一个市政厅首次提出了权利计划的改变和“年轻人”退休年龄的改变。
在最近的爱荷华州得梅因登记民意调查中，海莉的不确定性最高，40%的受访共和党人表示他们对她了解不够，而支持率为53%。
特朗普还在周一前往爱荷华州达文波特的途中与一群记者一起对德桑蒂斯发表了讲话，德桑蒂斯周五参观了同一个城镇。
特朗普表示，他后悔在2018年支持德桑蒂斯竞选州长，他说，“这家伙已经死了。他已经死了……我可以这么说，”特朗普告诉政治。
“我说，‘你现在死定了，你不会去的，没有代言能救你。乔治·华盛顿救不了你。他说，‘我告诉你，如果你支持我，我就有机会，’”特朗普说。
政治还报道说，川普一直在为他的潜在对手起绰号，但他说，他已经决定不使用“肉球罗恩”这个名字来攻击德桑蒂斯，称它“太粗鲁了”
Trump's attacks on DeSantis intensify in Iowa
Donald Trumphas amped up his attacks on Ron DeSantis -- making some of his harshest public comments yet directed at Florida's governor and potential GOP campaign rival.
"You have to remember Ron was a disciple ofPaul Ryan, who is a RINO (Republican In Name Only) loser," Trump said to a crowd in Davenport, Iowa on Monday, attempting to cast DeSantis -- a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus in Congress -- as a pre-MAGA Republican who opposed ethanol and supported cuts to Medicare and Social Security.
"Romney -- I'm not a big fan ofMitt Romney, lost hiselectionand to be honest with you, Ron reminds me a lot of Mitt Romney," he said.
Trump then appeared to speak directly to DeSantis: "So, I don't think you're going to be doing so well here. But we're going to find out."
DeSantis has not yet declared his candidacy for a White House bid despite recenttoursof pivotal early voting states like Iowa and Nevada, though he's privately indicated to allies he intends to launch his candidacy in May or June, sources familiar with his plans told ABC News.
DeSantis is considered maybe Trump's chief rivals should he enter the race as he trails the former president's favorability ratings only slightly in a recentDes Moines Register's Iowa Poll.
During Trump's speech -- which sources familiar with the matter had said would be focused on education -- he vowed to cut funding for any school that is pushing critical race theory or what he called "transgender insanity," or that has a vaccine or mask mandate. He also again said he would support the direct election of school principals by parents, and vowed to break up the Department of Education if elected.
DeSantis did not comment directly on Trump's attacks but released atweetfollowing the remarks, where he addressed education by disavowing "political indoctrination" in universities.
"The publications said Trump still has really high approval ratings with the Republican voter base is defeating Ron DeSantis in poll after poll by a lot and I'm beating Joe Biden by a lot– very important," Trump said.
The former president on Monday focused directly on DeSantis' record as a former member of Congress and dove into other stances the governor has taken.
Trump attacked DeSantis over his previous support -- while serving in Congress in 2017 -- of a bill that would have immediately ended the Renewable Fuel Standard, or the RFS. The RFS mandates that specific percentages of ethanol -- a major industry in Iowa -- be part of the nation's fuel supply.
"Okay, so remember this -- Ron Desanctus. Did anyone ever hear of Desanctus? Desanctimonious ... Ron Desanctus strongly opposed ethanol. Do you know that? And we don't even know if he's running but I might as well tell you. If he's not running, I'll say he was fine on ethanol, don't worry," Trump said in his speech.
"He strongly opposed ethanol and fought against it at every turn. And he's gonna do that again. Because people that come out early for something, that's where they go. Politically, but he was very, very bad on ethanol," he said.
Ethanol is a key issue for many of Iowa's farmers. Trump himself has faced criticism from farmers while president because he granted ethanol waivers to some small refineries, giving them an exemption from blending ethanol into their fuel. Trump, however, billed himself as the "most pro-farmer president," on Monday.
The former president also continued to attack DeSantis over his positions on Social Security, saying he "wanted to decimate it and voted against it."
"A lot of people don't know that. I think they've been finding out over the last four weeks. One of the reasons that we're zooming in the polls, perhaps," Trump said. "He also voted to severely cut Medicare. I will not be adding Medicare and I will not be cutting Social Security."
Trump did not mention GOP opponent Nikki Haley's recent calls for changing the retirement age for Americans currently in their 20s and limiting Social Security and Medicare benefits for wealthy Americans.
The former South Carolina governor first proposed the entitlement program changes and change of retirement age for "young people" at a town hall in Iowa last week.
Haley had the highest uncertainty in the recent Des Moines Register Iowa Poll, with 40% of Republicans surveyed saying they do not know enough about her, while garnering a 53% approval rating.
Trump also addressed DeSantis' with a group of reporters on en route to Davenport, Iowa on Monday, the same town DeSantis toured on Friday.
Trump said he regretted endorsing DeSantis for governor in 2018, saying, "This guy was dead. He was dead as a doornail … I might say that," Trump toldPolitico.
"I said, 'You are so dead right now you are not going, no endorsement is going to save you. George Washington won't save you.' He said, 'I'm telling you, if you endorse me, I have a chance,'" Trump said.
Politico also reported that Trump has been workshopping nicknames for his potential rival, but he said that he has decided against attacking DeSantis with the name "Meatball Ron," calling it "too crude."
