A former Republican lawmaker from the same state as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) wasn’t exactly impressed by Wednesday’s presidential rollout.
“This was the biggest day in the political life of Ron and Casey DeSantis,” former U.S. Rep. David Jolly (R-Fla.) said on MSNBC. “And it has become absolutely humiliating.”
Jolly then ran through a list of other words to describe a day in which DeSantis unveiled his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination in a glitch-filled announcement on Twitter and faced a barrage of insults and attacks from former President Donald Trump.
“Rawly embarrassing. Emasculating. Mortifying,” he sad. “Choose your word. This has been a disaster for Ron and Casey DeSantis.”
He said Trump’s response is “very telling” in revealing the narrative the former president will try to put DeSantis into.
Jolly said DeSantis’ disastrous day represents an opportunity for his 2024 Republican rivals.
“But honestly tonight now Tim Scott and Nikki Haley have a free shot as well,” Jolly said. “Because even the decision to do this on Twitter Spaces leans into the weirdness of DeSantis.”
Jolly dismissed DeSantis as “Governor Safe Space” who can only be around people in carefully orchestrated events.
See more in his discussion with MSNBC’s Joy Reid:
Jolly, who quit the GOP in 2018 over his opposition to Trump, said over the weekend that he might also quit Florida over his opposition to DeSantis.
“Why would I want to raise my kids in an environment in which they’re shamed for embracing diversity of thought and diverse cultures?” he asked on MSNBC.
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