Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on Tuesday swiped at former President Trump over his push for a primary challenge to DeSantis-backer Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), pointing out the filing deadline in Texas already passed.
“While @chiproytx is fighting to do what Donald Trump promised to do—secure our southern border—the former president is on social media demanding a primary challenge to one of the most conservative members of Congress (even though the Texas primary filing deadline was over a week ago.),” DeSantis, also the governor of Florida, wrote Tuesday in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “I stand with Chip and am honored to have his support. The time for talking is over. We must stop the invasion, and I will get it done.”
DeSantis’s remarks were in response to Trump’s Monday social media post in which he suggested a Republican should attempt to primary Roy, a longtime supporter of DeSantis’s White House bid.
“Has any smart and energetic Republican in the Great State of Texas decided to run in the Primary against RINO Congressman Chip Roy. For the right person, he is very beatable,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “If interested, let me know!!!”
Roy appeared on the campaign trail in Iowa with DeSantis earlier Monday, and the two Republicans dug into Trump’s record.
Roy gave a preemptive endorsement of DeSantis in March before the governor announced his candidacy and reiterated his support last month when he maintained he stands “100 percent” with DeSantis.
DeSantis has struggled to make a significant dent in Trump’s lead in the GOP primary polls, with recent analysis from The Hill and Decision Desk HQ showing Trump with a 54 percent lead over his GOP rivals. DeSantis’s second-place spot in the polls has recently been threatened by former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has seen a recent uptick in support.
Roy, sitting alongside DeSantis on Monday in an interview with Fox News, appeared to dismiss the polling numbers, arguing the polls “are supposed to reflect public opinion, not shape it.”
“That’s the reality and what’s going to decide this election are the people on the ground, not polls, the people in Iowa. That’s the beauty of our process, right? We’re for principals, not princes. We don’t coordinate anybody. We don’t let polls decide,” Roy continued. “It’s the American people through this process and the people of Iowa who take it very seriously.”
Trump and Roy have feuded with one another on multiple occasions. Roy was one of a handful of Texas Republicans who voted against overturning the 2020 election results, and he objected to seating 67 House lawmakers from states where Trump and his supporters claimed election fraud. Roy argued at the time that if the president and his allies were claiming fraudulent results, the other ballots must be questioned too.