Donald Trump called Florida ‘in play,’ says he’d rather be campaigning here

Image via AP.

Former President Donald Trump said he should be campaigning in Florida instead of sitting through a New York trial. Florida Democrats agree.

During a press conference outside the New York State Supreme Court, the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee for President asserted the trial was intentionally keeping him off the campaign trail.

“I’m going to go into the icebox now and sit for about eight hours or nine hours,” Trump told reporters. “I would much rather be in Georgia. I’d much rather be in Florida. I much rather be in states that are in play, states that I’d like to be able to campaign in.”

Trump was maintaining an assertion the current New York trial, where he was just held in contempt for violating a gag order and fined, that his prosecution is effectively election interference.

But Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried pounced on the comments as confirmation that Florida remains a battleground state.

“Wow, for the first time and I am sure the last, Trump said something I agree with,” she posted on X, specifically endorsing that Florida is in play in 2024.

“Maybe that explains why Trump would tolerate being in a room with DeSanctimonious.”

Fried referenced a nickname given to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis when both were running against one another for the Republican nomination.

DeSantis suspended his campaign in January, and met with Trump this weekend in South Florida to offer him support on the campaign trail and with fundraising.

Many national analysts, though, suggest there’s a lot of reason to believe Florida is not “in play,” and many swing state polls have left the Sunshine State out entirely.

Trump won Florida in 2020 despite losing other battlegrounds and the national popular vote. Additionally, Florida Republicans have grown a first-ever advantage in registered voters in the state to nearly a 900,000-voter edge.

But there are signs both parties will make a push to win Florida’s 30 electoral votes. Democratic President Joe Biden last week campaigned in Tampa, focusing on the state’s looming six-week abortion ban, which goes into effect Wednesday.