During a portion of an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network set to air on Friday’s “700 Club” that was released on Thursday, 2024 Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis argued that rival 2024 candidate former President Donald Trump is going soft on the issue of abortion.
CBN News Reporter David Brody asked, “[T]o Evangelicals, they’re looking at a country that’s gone to hell in a handbasket, many others have as well. What is your message to them? Because, let’s be honest, in 2016, they liked Donald Trump a lot. In 2020, they did too…they might still want to go with Trump, so why you rather than Donald Trump, who was very successful with Evangelicals?”
DeSantis answered, “Well, one, I think in Florida, we’ve taken a purple state and turned it into a red state through bold leadership. We need to do the same thing nationally. We’ve got to beat Biden. We were able to win Florida by 20 points, I had a record percentage of Evangelicals here in Florida, but I also had a record with Hispanics and a record for a Republican with women voters, and that’s with bold colors, not with pale pastels, we led. So, I think that that’s important, because if Biden gets in again, the left is going to absolutely destroy this country even more than it is now.”
DeSantis continued, “The other thing is, I don’t think there’s any elected official in the country who’s not only stood up for the values that we all share, but has actually beat the left back on these things.” And “I think there have been a lot of Republicans through the years who have said they would do things, but when it really gets tough, are you able to stand your ground and do it? Right to life, we were able to deliver the heartbeat bill, which was a big, big deal. And while I appreciate what the former President has done in a variety of realms, he opposes that bill. He said it was ‘harsh’ to protect an unborn child when there’s a detectable heartbeat.”
Brody then asked, “You mentioned abortion, do you feel the former President’s going soft then on abortion a little bit, especially in this area that you mentioned?”
DeSantis responded, “I think so. I was really surprised, because he’s a Florida resident. And I thought he would compliment the fact that we were able to do the heartbeat bill, which pro-lifers have wanted for a long time. He never complimented, never said anything about it. Then, he was asked about it and he said it was ‘harsh.’”
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