Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis distanced himself from a debate preparation memo that was leaked to the press earlier this week that apparently came from a political action committee that supports his 2024 presidential bid.
The memo, ascribed to the Never Back Down PAC, revealed that the Florida governor would defend former President Donald Trump at the Republican debate in Wisconsin next week amid reports that the former president wouldn’t be attending. It also instructs Mr. DeSantis to target GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who has surged in the polls in recent months as Mr. DeSantis’s campaign has failed to make much headway since he entered the presidential race in May.
Some polls show that both Mr. DeSantis and Mr. Ramawamy are neck-in-neck. One from Emerson shows that the two each have 10 percent, trailing President Trump, who got 56 percent in the survey.
In recent weeks, Mr. DeSantis has attempted to reboot his campaign after a series of setbacks, including reports that his staff are overspending, layoffs, and changes in campaign management.
“I know from the military, when you’re over the target, that’s when you’re taking flak. And if you look really in the last six to nine months, I’ve been more attacked than anybody else. Biden, Harris, the media, the left, other Republican candidates,” the Florida governor told Fox News on Saturday. “And there’s a reason for that, because people know that I’m the biggest threat. So we view it as positive feedback. We’ll be ready to do what we need to do to deliver our message, but we absolutely expect that, and we’ll be ready for it.”
When asked about whether he would target rivals on stage during the first debate, scheduled for next week, he told Fox News: “Yes, that means defending ourselves but more importantly showing why we are the leader to get this country turned around.”
After the memo was leaked to the media last week, Mr. DeSantis’s campaign denied any knowledge of it.
“This was not a campaign memo and we were not aware of it prior to the article,” the campaign said. “We are well accustomed to the attacks from all sides as the media and other candidates realize Ron DeSantis is the strongest candidate best positioned to take down Joe Biden.”
As for President Trump, he wrote a Truth Social post that suggested he wouldn’t be attending. The reason why, according to the post, is because polls show that “I am leading the runner up, whoever that may now be, by more than 50 Points.”
The Republican National Committee has made it mandatory for anyone attending the first debate to sign a pledge saying they would back the GOP nominee, which President Trump criticized.
Mr. DeSantis, Mr. Ramaswamy, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum have indicated they would attend the debate, signing the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) pledge to back the eventual GOP nominee. Former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have implied they will be attending the debate, too.
“I wouldn’t sign the pledge,” President Trump told Fox News earlier in August. “They want you to sign a pledge, but I can name three or four people that I wouldn’t support for president. So right there, there’s a problem.”
But despite the claims to the contrary, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel stated last week that she believes the former president will sign the pledge and ultimately attend the debate.
“He’s signed the pledge before. He signed it to get on the South Carolina ballot,” Mrs. McDaniel told NewsNation during an interview. “I have a feeling if he wants to be on the debate stage, he’s going to sign that pledge.”
While much of the attention in the Republican Party’s crowded presidential primary has gone to President Trump and Mr. DeSantis, others are eyeing the nationally televised event as a prime opportunity to break out.
Ms. Haley’s team acknowledged she isn’t universally known, despite a resume that features two terms as South Carolina governor and a role in Trump’s cabinet. An adviser, granted anonymity to discuss strategy, said the primary goal in her debate preparation has been to project that “Nikki is tough, she’s going to stand up for America and she’s going to stand up to bullies.”
“This has been a part of who I am for as long as I can remember,” Haley said. “I’ve been underestimated in everything I’ve ever done, but it’s a blessing because it makes me scrappy. No one’s going to outwork me in this race. No one’s going to outsmart me in this race. We have a country to save, and I’m determined to do it.”
