Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.) said in an interview that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) “made some very big, critical mistakes” because the governor is a contender for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024.
During an appearance on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki,” host Jen Psaki asked Ocasio-Cortez if she thinks former President Trump is the easiest Republican candidate to challenge President Biden in 2024.
“Yes. I think there is something to be said for that. The dynamics of these races have changed from today,” Ocasio-Cortez told Psaki. “I think that Governor DeSantis made a lot of big, critical mistakes.”
Ocasio-Cortez explained that DeSantis, who has been governor of Florida since 2019, is trying to outdo fellow candidate Trump, noting his recent attacks and legislation targeting the school system. of his state and the LGBTQ community.
“Well, you can’t out-Trump Trump, right? And that’s what he’s trying to do. His attacks on teachers, on schools, on LGBT Americans I think are far from State of Florida,” the lawmaker said. “And I think it’s a profound political miscalculation and an overpayment.”
Ocasio-Cortez added that she thinks DeSantis sacrificed showing herself to be a reasonable candidate compared to Trump in an effort to win votes from Trump’s base.
“He may be trying to win over a base, but that base belongs to Donald Trump,” he added. “And he’s sacrificed, I think, the one thing that some people thought would make him competitive, which is this idea that somehow he’s going to be more reasonable than Donald Trump, which he’s not.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s comments come as questions surround DeSantis’ presidential campaign strategy nearly a month after she launched her 2024 presidential bid. DeSantis launched his presidential campaign in a Twitter Space live forum with Elon Musk last month.
Even after anticipating the launch of his campaign, DeSantis still trails Trump in national polls, as the results of the Real Clear Politics average of polls show that 52.4 percent of respondents support Trump. , while 21.5 percent submitted their support for DeSantis.
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