FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. — Florida's governor on Tuesday appeared to dismiss recent critical comments aimed at him by former President Donald Trump as "just noise."
Just hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis defeated Democratic challenger Charlie Crist in last week's general election, Trump released a lengthy statement, calling DeSantis an "average" governor and taking credit for bolstering the Republican's image.
"Ron DeSanctimonious is playing games!" Trump wrote. "The Fake News asks him if he's going to run if President Trump runs, and he says, 'I'm only focused on the Governor's race, I'm not looking into the future.' Well, in terms of loyalty and class, that's really not the right answer."
Former President Donald Trump goes off on @GovRonDeSantis in latest statement: “Ron came to me in desperate shape in 2017—he was politically dead, losing in a landslide to a very good Agriculture Commissioner, Adam Putnam…” pic.twitter.com/f8RgnDdlYj
— Forrest Saunders (@FBSaunders) November 10, 2022
Speaking at a news conference in Fort Walton Beach on Tuesday, DeSantis appeared to brush off Trump's comments, telling a crowd of supporters that "when you're getting things done, you take incoming fire. That's just the nature of it."
"What you learn is all that is just noise. And really what matters is are you leading? Are you getting in front of issues? Are you delivering results for people? And are you standing up for folks? And if you do that, then none of that stuff matters," DeSantis said. "And that is what we've done. We've focused on results."
WATCH: Florida's governor reacts to Trump's comments
Many political pundits believe Trump on Tuesday night will officially announce his candidacy for president in 2024 during an event at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach.
When asked about the Republican rivalry that seems to be brewing between he and Trump, DeSantis on Tuesday pointed to last week's election results in Florida, in which the GOP scored overwhelming victories in Congressional, state Legislature, and school board races, among others.
"At the end of the day, I would tell people to go check out the scoreboard from last Tuesday night," DeSantis said. "The fact of the matter is it was the greatest Republican victory in the history of the state of Florida."
