Conservative commentator Dave Rubin suggested that Trump perceives his followers as “a bunch of morons,” following Trump’s criticism of a GOP rival regarding his pandemic management.
GOP Rivals Clash
This came after Trump, at a Fox News town hall in Iowa, openly criticized GOP contender Ron DeSantis for his pandemic-era actions. In the course of the event, he leveled accusations at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, claiming that DeSantis supported the nation’s foremost COVID expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Trump Calls Out “Ron DeSanctimonius”
Referring to the governor by his nickname, Trump addressed Fox News hosts Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier, saying, “If you go back and look at the records, you will see that the biggest fan of Dr. Fauci was Ron DeSanctimonius.”
Are Followers Morons?
Rubin, a supporter of DeSantis’ quest for the presidency, challenged Trump’s negative comments about DeSantis. He argued that Trump must consider his followers “morons” if he expects them to believe his statements, even when they conflict with the actual events of the pandemic.
“Dishonest” and “Evil”
“This is some seriously dishonest bull….. And the fact that this official Trump account shared it is basically straight up evil,” Rubin remarked in a Thursday post on X, formerly known as Twitter, reacting to a clip from Trump’s town hall shared by his 2024 campaign’s war room account.
“And no, that’s not me being mean to Trump, that’s Trump telling his supporters he thinks they are a bunch of morons and can feed them anything.”
MAGA War Room
The video posted by MAGA War Room carries a community note debunking Trump’s claims as “false,” stating that DeSantis was actually “a leading critic of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.” It also notes that Trump was the one who appointed Fauci to the White House Coronavirus Task Force.
No Regrets
“Trump has shown no regret over warp speed, he gave Fauci an award on the way out and he was pushing DeSantis to recluse Florida right before leaving office,” Rubin commented. “And yes, he would do it all over again since he thinks he did nothing wrong the first time.”
Trump’s Operation Warp Speed
The Trump administration’s Operation Warp Speed was a pivotal move to speed up the creation and distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, a feat for which Trump has openly claimed credit.
On January 19, 2021, the day before leaving office, Trump awarded Fauci and 51 others contributing to Operation Warp Speed with presidential commendations.
Disapproval of COVID Measures
Throughout their time in office, both Trump and DeSantis have expressed disapproval of various COVID policies. DeSantis especially drew national focus for his stance against imposing pandemic-related restrictions in Florida.
“Give me a break”
DeSantis mocked Trump for his denial of knowing who awarded Fauci, stating in September, “It literally says President Trump awards commendation. Is this the immaculate commendation or something like that? Did this just happen out of thin air?”
“Give me a break, people need to take responsibility for their actions. They need to own what they did. And here’s the thing that’s important: Looking forward, you know, with me, all those mistakes will never be repeated again.”
Brief Lockdown
Rubin, on Thursday, recognized that DeSantis had once imposed a lockdown in Florida, albeit for a short period. However, he commended the governor, noting, “he has apologized for it and then led the charge for the free world to reverse lockdowns, mask mandates and vaxxes.”
Is Trump “lying”?
“There are plenty of good arguments to make for voting for Trump, I’ve made them on my show. But lying about everything, especially the most important things won’t get us out of this mess. It’s not how the nature of reality works,” Rubin added.
“He thinks you’re stupid”
On Saturday, DeSantis accused Trump of attempting to “gaslight” the electorate with his accusations on Fox News, stating, “He thinks you’re stupid,” regarding the Florida governor.
DeSantis reminded the audience that it was Trump who appointed Fauci to lead the pandemic response. He also mentioned to the audience that his political team sold “Don’t Fauci My Florida” T-shirts in 2021, following his decision to defy Fauci’s advice and open schools and businesses.
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