Ron DeSantis rips ‘rehashed’ presidential debate questions

Image via Ron DeSantis campaign livestream

Gov. Ron DeSantis argues that last week’s Republican presidential debate in Miami featured unoriginal and repetitive questions.

During a phone-in interview during a radio station’s Veterans Town Hall in New Hampshire, the 2024 presidential candidate griped about how issues affecting those who served in the military were ignored in favor of other topics.

“I think by and large that debate was professionally done. We were concerned with NBC that it would be all these really left-wing questions. But I think they rehashed a lot of questions that have already been asked in some of these things and that we’ve all answered multiple times, not only on the debate stage but in interviews,” DeSantis dished.

“And so there’s issues like veterans that have just totally fallen by the wayside because it’s not something that I think the national media really gravitates to.”

The rest of the interview included familiar fare, such as DeSantis extolling K9s for Warriors for providing service dogs that help veterans handle PTSD symptoms, and how he would supplement the beleaguered Veterans Administration with a “portal” connecting former military members who need help to nonprofits that can provide it.

DeSantis’ latest media appearance in the state comes as voters seem to prefer other options in the narrowing GOP Primary race ahead of the Jan. 23 vote.

The new Emerson College Polling/WHDH poll of New Hampshire voters finds the Florida Governor having slumped to 7%, putting him in a very distant fourth place, 42 points behind former President Donald Trump. The state allocates its 49 delegates on a proportional basis, meaning that even a single-digit showing on Election Day could garner a few pro-DeSantis votes at the GOP Convention next year.

The Governor will be back in New Hampshire Tuesday, and he said he will be in the state frequently between then and the Jan. 23 Primary, the first in the nation and the second nominating contest, with Iowa’s caucuses coming first.

Complaining about presidential debates has recurred in recent weeks as a DeSantis concern.

“As much as I like Florida and I like Miami and I was happy to host it as the sitting Governor, Florida is not involved in this for many, many months,” DeSantis said in Iowa this month.

The Governor said that debates should be held in two of the early states.

“We need to do a debate in Iowa. We should do it. We should partner with local media, we should do one that’s going to get reach all throughout this state,” he said.

Additionally, DeSantis wants an event in New Hampshire, and questions why the December debate is in Alabama.

“I would have liked to have seen the December one in Iowa, but hopefully we do have a couple of weeks in early January to have a debate in Iowa. But that needs to be done. And the same thing with New Hampshire, those are the two states in January that are going to vote and we need to really focus on reaching those voters so that those voters can make a decision,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis had previously said presidential debates need to be “where the action is.”

“We should be doing these Republican debates in New Hampshire and in Iowa, since we’re going to be there anyway,” DeSantis said in Concord, New Hampshire, back in October.