Trump on DeSantis: ‘I think he had a rough opening’

Former President Trump on Thursday went after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) campaign launch in Trump’s first on-camera remarks since his top primary opponent officially joined the presidential race with a rocky start the evening before.

“I think he had a rough opening,” Trump told NewsNation when asked about DeSantis’s campaign launch on Twitter spaces, which was marred by technical glitches. 

DeSantis’s announcement confirmed months, if not years, of speculation that he is eyeing the White House. It also amounted to one of the most significant developments in the 2024 Republican presidential contest since November, when Trump announced he would once again seek the party’s nomination.

Trump, who has steadily led his 2024 GOP primary opponents in national polls in recent weeks, said he’s feeling “great” about the state of the presidential race, touting some recent poll numbers he said he saw.

“They’re all good. The polls look really nice,” he told reporters. 

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More on DeSantis’s launch from The Hill

• DeSantis 2024 launch marred by technical glitches
• Five takeaways from Ron DeSantis’s glitch-ridden campaign launch
• Biden trolls DeSantis over glitchy 2024 launch on Twitter Spaces
• DeSantis says large volumes of listeners caused crash in Musk Twitter conversation
• DeSantis’s 2024 rivals pile on over tech issues with campaign launch

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DeSantis has so far been Trump’s most formidable candidate but still trails behind him by double-digits. Other GOP primary candidates, however, have polled only in the single digits.

Still, those opponents have taken to attacking DeSantis, which bubbled over Wednesday night after he announced his intention to launch a 2024 campaign on a Twitter spaces platform that cut in and out and at one point was abruptly cut off entirely.

Trump took to social media with a much harsher tone during the DeSantis launch the evening before, mocking the Florida governor and calling him “fatal” and a “disaster.” 

“Wow! The DeSanctus TWITTER launch is a DISASTER! His whole campaign will be a disaster. WATCH!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding later, “Is the DeSantis launch FATAL …Yes!”