Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R., addressed recent criticism from former President Trump, brushing off the targeted attacks as questions loom surrounding the 2024 presidential election.
DeSantis joined "The Brian Kilmeade Show" on Tuesday to discuss his take on the one-sided clashes as the duo has been largely seen as the GOP's primary front-runners for taking back the White House.
"It’s silly season," DeSantis told Kilmeade. "You know how some of this stuff goes, and obviously he does his thing and that’s kind of who he is. But, what I wanted to do was give an honest appraisal of how we got to this point, the failures of the DC Republican establishment and how Donald Trump was speaking to things that some of the old guard refused to address."
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"That’s just a fact, and he can say what he wants about me," he continued.
DeSantis, who said he has not spoken to the former president, is seen as Trump's main contender in the 2024 race for the White House if he chooses to announce a bid.
Fox News polling indicated the pair is among Republicans' top choices for the next election cycle. Trump ranked first among voters with 43%, and DeSantis followed his lead with 28%. Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence tied with 7% and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Liz Cheney tied with 2%.
Although DeSantis has not yet announced he will run, analysts have suggested his nationwide pro-law enforcement tour and his upcoming book are signals he will throw his hat in the ring.
And given DeSantis has been seen as Trump's top contender within the Republican Party, he has already been targeted by the former president with criticism.
"I always give him credit for the things that he did that were positive, and I’m appreciative of a lot of things that he did," DeSantis said. "Doesn’t mean I agree with everything that he’s doing lately or whatever, but ultimately it’s about delivering for the people you represent and delivering for the country, so I wasn’t really into kind of trying to throw pot shots at anybody."
"My thing was just kind of explaining my approach to leadership, the issues we’ve tackled in Florida and how we’ve been able to see really unprecedented success for our state," he continued.
DeSantis launched his pro-police tour last week, visiting Democratic-led cities to speak with sheriffs, chiefs of police and other local law enforcement officials who feel unsupported by their local governments, his political team told Fox News Digital.
"Ron DeSanctimonious wants to cut your Social Security and Medicare," Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social after learning about the tour.
"closed up Florida & its beaches, loves RINOS Paul Ryan, Jeb Bush, and Karl Rove (disasters ALL!), is backed by Globalist’s Club for NO Growth, Lincoln Pervert Project, & ‘Uninspired’ Koch — And it only gets worse from there. He is a RINO in disguise!, whose Poll numbers are dropping like a rock. Good luck Ron!"
The governor is also releasing an autobiography on Feb. 28, titled "The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival," which is viewed by political pundits as another sign he is readying an announcement.
Fox News' Jessica Chasmar contributed to this report.
