As the race for 2024 heats up, Fox News host Neil Cavuto bluntly accused former President Trump of lying about Governor Ron DeSantis’ record while Democratic strategist James Carville asserted that “Trump hit him in the mouth and he lost his plan.”

(Video Credit: Fox News)

Trump has been ramping up his attacks against DeSantis ahead of a potential announcement that he may enter the race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. The Florida governor is the former president’s strongest competitor for the presidency currently, although according to many polls, he lags far behind.

“Florida was great long before Ron DeSanctus got there,” Trump stated in a video last week on Truth Social, using one of his new nicknames for the governor. He has accused DeSantis of being weak on crime, embracing lockdowns during the pandemic, and wanting to cut Social Security and Medicare.

Cavuto clapped back at Trump’s attacks against DeSantis on Thursday, saying, “I don’t know any other way to say it. The former president is lying about the record of Governor DeSantis. He’s lying about how far he went to deal with shutdowns that were going across the country, but not going on in Florida. He’s lying about some of his accomplishments in the past.”

During his show, Cavuto asked RealClearPolitics co-founder Tom Bevan whether Trump’s behavior “boomerangs” back on him over DeSantis and could potentially hurt his running for the presidency in 2024.

TRUMP ATTACKS DESANTIS: "For those of you that didn't notice, Florida was doing great long before Ron DeSanctus got there. […] Sunshine and ocean are very alluring. It's no too hard to work with those factors." pic.twitter.com/glFxfFm5vY

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 13, 2023

“Well, it depends on how many people are in the race,” he responded to the question. “If we’re talking about the Republican primary – if it’s DeSantis and four or five others – then his 30 or 34% might be enough of a plurality to win out.”

“So, he could still get the nomination you think, but that same math might not help him in a general election as things stand now?” Cavuto inquired.

“That’s right,” Bevan replied. “The cautionary tale for Republicans in 2022 was that they lost independents, and given where the economy was – 8% inflation, $4 a gallon gas, Joe Biden’s job approval rating in the low 40s – the fact that independents didn’t vote overwhelmingly against the Biden administration and the Democrats in 2022? Republicans have to win independents, and Donald Trump has trouble with independents in a general election setting.”

Carville had a different take on Trump’s blistering attacks against the Florida governor.

DeSantis has pretty much ignored the ongoing assault by the former president and the Democrat decided to stir things up by weighing in on the contest between the two conservative contenders.

(Video Credit: MSNBC)

During Thursday’s edition of MSNBC’s “The Beat,” Carville quoted former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in regard to DeSantis’ perceived situation.

“DeSantis proves the wisdom of Mike Tyson. Everybody’s got a plan until you hit him in the mouth. That guy, he doesn’t know whether to wind his rear or scratch his watch. And he tried to play in the league that he can’t play in, and that’s pretty evident. I mean, he’s a confused guy and, you know, Trump hit him in the mouth and he lost his plan. He just went totally off-key. So, my hat’s off to Iron Mike,” he said, applying Tyson’s quote.

“It sounds like you’re not impressed that DeSantis is really up there the way he’s been built up and we haven’t seen him in national settings and long-form interviews and debates,” host Ari Melber stated.

As the race for the nomination continues, more commentary from the left and the right, for or against DeSantis or Trump, is sure to captivate headlines.

It has yet to be seen if the Florida governor will even enter the race and if he does so, there are others throwing their hat in the ring as well. It may turn out to be a brutal competition to see who becomes the nominee, but as of right now, it appears to still be Trump’s for the taking if the polls are to be believed.

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