The Democratic Party is lashing out at Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump after both denounced U.S. support for Ukraine.
“Of course 2024 MAGA Republicans Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis would use Tucker Carlson’s platform to announce they’d rather side with Vladimir Putin than Ukraine and democracy,” asserted Ammar Mousa, Press Secretary for the Democratic National Committee.
“This is just the latest example of how the race for the MAGA base means 2024 Republicans will take exceedingly extreme positions, even if it undermines our allies and democracy.”
Neither DeSantis nor Trump supported Russia’s actions in Ukraine, but rather argued the U.S. is spending too much to assist Ukraine.
After months of side-stepping questions on the matter, DeSantis told Fox News host Tucker Carlson through a written questionnaire that he does not prioritize support for Ukraine as a war continues with Russia.
“While the U.S. has many vital national interests — securing our borders, addressing the crisis of readiness with our military, achieving energy security and independence, and checking the economic, cultural and military power of the Chinese Communist Party — becoming further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia is not one of them,” DeSantis wrote in a statement read aloud by Carlson.
Trump has previously said he would negotiate a deal with Ukraine. “I could have negotiated. At worst, I could have made a deal to take over something, you know, there are certain areas that are Russian speaking areas, right, like, but you could have worked a deal. And now Ukraine is just being blown to smithereens,” he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity earlier this week.
Trump confirmed his position in Carlson’s questionnaire as well, stating “both sides are weary and ready to make a deal.”
The Democratic National Committee slammed the positions of both figures, the two Florida Republicans seen as favorites to earn the 2024 presidential nomination.
The position also puts both Florida Republicans at odds with most of the Republican contenders for President.
Former Vice President Mike Pence has supported Ukraine and said the U.S. should provide more military backup than offered to date by President Joe Biden’s administration. Nikki Haley, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under Trump, also has voiced support in a position at odds with her old boss. U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina voted to approve all spending to date in support of Ukraine and said Biden had provided “too little support.”
Notably, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, a Miami Republican who fought Trump for the nomination in 2016, distanced himself from both the former President and DeSantis and voiced support for Ukraine.
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