Gov. Ron DeSantis Slams Trump For ‘Massive Gaslighting’ & Fox News For Failing To Fact Check Ex-President

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Florida) fired shots at former President Donald Trump and Fox News regarding Trump’s recent town hall appearance on the network this week.

The discussion on Morning Joe began with a clip of Trump in his town hall on Fox, where he declared, “Florida did shut down. Ron DeSantis shut down, or as he’s known, Ron Desanctimonious. He shut his state down very violently, actually, and shut the highways down the roads down.”

Host Joe Scarborough then questioned the accuracy of Trump’s statement and recalled Trump’s past criticism of DeSantis when he didn’t push stricter measures to combat the pandemic.

In response, DeSantis called out Trump’s reliance on Dr. Anthony Fauci. “They were running commercials in October of 2020 for his reelection, bragging that he followed everything Fauci said. And then when Fauci, Donald Trump’s last day in office, he gave Fauci a commendation. He forcibly shut down Florida’s cruise industry. They shut down churches on military bases, and they were pressuring states,” the governor said.

DeSantis also criticized Trump’s response to other states, like Georgia, when they began to reopen and his opposition to school closures.

DeSantis expressed frustration with what he deemed “massive gaslighting” by Trump, particularly in the town hall on Fox, where he felt there was no pushback on Trump’s assertions.

The governor also appeared on Fox News for his own town hall but criticized the network for what he perceived as a lack of critical questions and an overall bias in favor of Trump.

Scarborough echoed DeSantis’ sentiments that the Fox town hall appeared to be a promotional platform for Trump’s reelection. DeSantis added that he had liberal questioners in his town hall, but that he expected such challenges and was prepared to address them.

DeSantis concluded, “I think as a leader, if something doesn’t work, you course correct and voters, voters appreciate, it’s refreshing when you acknowledge that you got something wrong. Donald Trump just can’t do that.”

Last month, DeSantis said Trump would “absolutely” claim that the election was “stolen” if he loses next week’s Iowa caucuses.