Getty Ron DeSantis
A video in which Florida Governor Ron DeSantis refers to people who follow Truth Social every morning as “listless vessels” is going viral.
You can watch the video later in this story. The comments came in an interview that DeSantis granted to the Florida Standard, and the “listless vessels” comment was first noted by the site Florida Politics.
The comments come as DeSantis continues to lag former President Donald Trump in polls, according to RealClearPolitics‘ polling average, which has Trump leading the Republican primary field by an average 40.5% as he battles against multiple indictments.
Here’s what you need to know:
Some Are Comparing the DeSantis ‘Listless Vessels’ Comment to Hillary Clinton Calling Conservative Voters a Basket Full of Deplorables’
Listen to the way Desantis talks about Trump supporters:
“Unless you’re kissing [Trump’s] rear end they’ll call you a RINO”
“listless vessels who follow what ever comes down the pike on Truth Social every morning”
This should have never been uploaded
DeSantis’s comments were causing controversy on Twitter, with some comparing the “listless vessels” comment to Hillary Clinton referring to “half of Trump supporters” as a basket full of deplorables.
2016 Hillary Clinton called MAGA ‘basket of deplorables’
2020 Joe Biden called MAGA ‘dregs of society’
2024 Ron DeSantis called MAGA ‘listless vessels’
“To Hillary Clinton, Trump supporters are ‘deplorables.’ To Ron DeSantis, they are ‘listless vessels.’ The truth is, Trump supporters are patriots,” said Karoline Leavitt, spokeswoman for Make America Great Again Inc., told Florida Politics. Trump’s spokesman, Jason Miller, tweeted, “Looks like Ron DeSanctimonious just had his ‘Basket of Deplorables’ moment. Not good!”
“If all we are is listless vessels that are just supposed to follow, you know, whatever happens to come down the pike on Truth Social every morning, that’s not going to be a durable movement,” DeSantis said in the interview.
DeSantis did not specifically say that Trump supporters are listless vessels, but some are interpreting his comment that way because of the reference to Truth Social.
Ron DeSantis Criticized People Who Refer to Republicans as ‘RINOS’ in the Same Interview
In the same interview, DeSantis also criticized people who refer to some Republicans as “RINOS,” or Republican In Name Only.
“And so you could be the most conservative person since sliced bread. Unless you’re kissing his rear end, they will somehow call you a RINO. So it’s been totally detached from principle in what you actually believe and results. And it’s more about, you know, just what faction you happen to do,” DeSantis said to the Florida Standard.
He added: “There will be people who are huge Trump supporters like in Congress who have, like, incredibly liberal left-wing records that’s really just atrocious and yet they’re viewed by some of these folks as, like, really, really good. Then you have other people, you know, like a Congressman Chip Roy who’s endorsed me, Congressman Thomas Massie.”
“These guys have records of principle, fighting the swamp that are second to none, and yet they will be attacked by some of these people and called RINOs,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis will be in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 23 for the first Republican primary debate. However, President Trump has indicated he will be sitting down with Tucker Carlson instead.
Thank you to all the Granite Staters who came out to show their support today at the Londonderry Old Home Day Parade!
We are on a mission to defeat Joe Biden in 2024 — there will be no excuses, we will get the job done.
As the controversy broke out on X, DeSantis was tweeting about the campaign trail, writing, “Thank you to all the Granite Staters who came out to show their support today at the Londonderry Old Home Day Parade! We are on a mission to defeat Joe Biden in 2024 — there will be no excuses, we will get the job done.”
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