Ron DeSantis under fire for "disgraceful insult" aimed at Donald Trump's supporters

Tallahassee, Florida - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is under fire for taking a swing at supporters of Donald Trump during an interview on Saturday.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (r.) is facing backlash after he referred to supporters of Donald Trump as "listless vessels" during a recent interview.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (r.) is facing backlash after he referred to supporters of Donald Trump as "listless vessels" during a recent interview.  © Collage: ALMOND NGAN / AFP & Megan Varner / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

DeSantis took aim at Trump's MAGA base in an interview with Florida Standard.

"A movement can't be about the personality of one individual," he said. "If all we are is listless vessels that's just supposed to follow, you know, whatever happens to come down the pike on Truth Social every morning, that's not going to be a durable movement."

Despite facing 91 felony charges in four criminal indictments, Trump remains the frontrunner in the GOP primaries, with DeSantis a distant second.

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Donald Trump Trump says RFK Jr. will "take care" of women's and children's health in his administration

In response to DeSantis' remarks, MAGA Inc. spokesperson Karoline Leavitt released a statement, calling for him to "apologize for his disgraceful insult."

"To Hillary Clinton, Trump supporters are 'deplorable.' To Ron DeSantis, they are 'listless vessels.' The truth is, Trump supporters are patriots," Leavitt said, referencing the 2016 Democratic candidate's notorious remark.

Clips of DeSantis' comments have been shared by countless Trump allies on social media, with MAGA fans weighing in, many of them arguing that DeSantis has officially ruined his chances at winning the 2024 presidential race.

Some X posts quoting the comment are marked with a community note, arguing that DeSantis was only predicting what the conservative movement could become, not what it is.

Cover photo: Collage: ALMOND NGAN / AFP & Megan Varner / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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