The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the response by the United States could be a major topic in the 2024 presidential election. Many know where President Joe Biden stands on the issue, and former President Donald Trump has been vocal about how he feels. Potential presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has been less forthcoming.
What Happened: A potential showdown between Trump and DeSantis and the winning GOP candidate likely facing Biden could center on several topics like the economy, inflation, and the international conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
DeSantis conducted an interview with The Times of London last week, a newspaper owned by News Corp NWSNWSA.
The interview highlights the potential presidential aspirations of DeSantis and dives into his book “The Courage to Be Free.”
Times reporter David Charter writes that at one point during the interview, DeSantis shows a “flash of temper.”
The reporter asks DeSantis what he thinks of the situation in Ukraine.
“There’s a critique of Biden, and I think I’m sympathetic to it in the sense that, is our policy just do whatever Zelenskyy wants? Or do we have a concrete idea of what we’re trying to achieve exactly?” DeSantis told Charter.
Charter asks DeSantis how he would handle the Ukraine situation differently than the current president.
Rather than answering the question, DeSantis highlighted how Biden is “weak on the world stage” and has failed at deterrence.
The reporter asks DeSantis again the same question.
“Perhaps you should cover some other ground? I think I’ve said enough,” the Florida governor sa.
Why It’s Important: The interview with The Times highlighted how DeSantis is different than Trump and talked about his aspirations for being president.
“You know, don’t we need some more energy in the executive? Don’t we need a little bit more vigor and a little bit more punch?” DeSantis said.
The potential presidential hopeful is 44 years of age, compared to Biden at 80 and Trump at 76.
DeSantis also attacked Biden on several issues, including a push for clean energy initiatives and a focus on climate change.
“Trump was right to get out of (the Paris accords), I would take the shackles off what Biden’s done. We don’t have California-style policies on emissions or anything, and yet in Florida our emissions have crashed because of technology.”
A recent poll from Fox News shows that 46% of U.S. residents believe support for Ukraine should be time based. Among Democrats polled, 66% said the support should remain until Ukraine is victorious against Russia. Of Republicans polled, 61% prefer a time limit. Independent voters are mixed with 49% favoring setting a time limit and 45% calling for support until Ukraine is victorious.
The same poll shows that 48% of people approve of Biden’s response to Ukraine and 49% say they disapprove. The results from the poll in February show approval for Biden’s response has gone up, with 45% approving in the January poll.
DeSantis attacking Biden on his handling of the Ukraine crisis, but not having a clear plan on what he would do differently, could lead to criticism from both Biden and Trump.
Political strategist Lis Smith, who is affiliated with the Democrat party, was quick to describe DeSantis' comments from the interview as a flaw in his potential presidential campaign.
“For those who think DeSantis is some unstoppable juggernaut, I submit the below for consideration,” Smith tweeted, sharing quotes from the interview.
Read Next: Trump Lashes Out At Fox News, Rupert Murdoch, Says Time To 'Get Rid Of Fake News'
Photo: Gage Skidmore on flickr
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