Republican primary winner mocks DeSantis: ‘Trump culture of winning is alive and well’

The Trump-backed candidate who won Kentucky’s Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in his victory speech, touting a “Trump culture of winning” after DeSantis had said the GOP has developed a “culture of losing” led by the former president.  

In his victory speech, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron thanked former President Trump and quipped, “Let me just say, the Trump culture of winning is alive and well in Kentucky!” footage from the Courier-Journal shows. 

DeSantis, who endorsed former U.N. ambassador Kelly Craft in the race on election day, said last week that the GOP needs to “reject the culture of losing that has infected our party in recent years.” 

Trump then pushed back on the the remarks, saying, “Ron’s not a winner, because Ron without me wouldn’t have won,” highlighting his support of DeSantis in prior races and his lead over the Florida governor in recent 2024 polling.

Trump is running for the White House in 2024 — and though DeSantis hasn’t launched an official bid, he’s considered the top potential contender, has appeared in the lead of hypothetical Trump-alternative candidates in some polling and is viewed as almost certain to announce his candidacy in the coming weeks. 

Trump adviser Chris LaCivita had also knocked DeSantis’s “culture” comments Tuesday. Quote-tweeting a post about Cameron’s victory in the primary, LaCivita wrote, “so much for the #alwaysbackdown culture of winning.”

–Updated at 9:29 a.m.