>> In Washington, Florida governor Ron Desantis gives an eastern opportunity in Iowa over
the weekend after former president trump canceled a rally there.
Then we are gonna focus on when Florida governor could be making his already seemingly official
Ann >> Florida governor Ron
[6:30:13 AM]
>> Florida governor Ron Desantis, putting on a neighbor, unfolding some burgers in an
old-fashioned retail politics in Iowa, ahead of his expected run for the white house.
Florida governor crisscrossed the state making the last-minute stop in Des Moines.
[Applause] >> That was a 15-minute stop that Santos made
it Jethro's barbecue, after trump was supposed to hold an outdoor rally just a few blocks
away on Saturday, but his campaign canceled due to a tornado watch in the area.
Something that Desantis's allies trolled him about, one of, them tweeting, it was a beautiful
evening in Iowa.
CNN's San toro is covering that right now.
Obviously, Desantis is trying to draw macron tasked with trump, that was pretty abruptly
scheduled after the former president Kendall's rally, right, Steve?
>> That is exactly, right Kate.
And the key distinction here is that he has appeared to go
[6:31:14 AM]
that he has appeared to go after trump in this, but he is so far divided -- divert attacks
on the president.
He preferred show contrast where he shows his administration versus trump.
He talks about how he shows there is leaks in his administration, there was no drama,
and there is no chaos that engulf the trump administration.
He likes to talk about how he would finish the border wall, which obviously suggests
that trump didn't finish it, something that you brought up in the town hall from last
week.
And listen to this warning that he issued to Iowa voters on Saturday talked with the
stakes in 2024.
>> If we make 2024 election a referendum on Joe Biden and his failures, and if we provide
a positive alternative for the future of this country, Republicans will win across the board.
If we do not do that, if we get distracted, if we focus the election on the past or on
other side issues, then I think the Democrats are going to beat
[6:32:16 AM]
the Democrats are going to beat us again, and I think it will be very difficult to recover
from that defeat.
>> You will notice he didn't mention president trump there but it was very obvious who he
was talking about.
This is something we are seeing from Republicans across the board.
There is a bit of a tentativeness to going directly at trump, and that is something that
we are seeing as well from governor santas while he remains not yet a presidential candidate.
>> It will be notable to see how does Desantis handle what trump was doing last week.
He was still denying the results of the last election, and another question here, as we've
seen Desantis in Iowa, we know, of course, what he's doing there.
The question still is when he is actually going to officially enter this race now that
Florida legislator is doing this work.
What is your sense when the timing could happen.
>> My sources are telling me there is one big box left for him to check, and he wants
to go through the state budget.
He likes to go line through line, cut spending where he can, but once he gets that behind,
[6:33:17 AM]
but once he gets that behind, him then we are going to see the countdown really start.
My sources suggest late may, first week in June is a likely timeframe.
But, I have to tell you, just seeing him this past weekend in Iowa, traveling with him in
sioux center, they were Desantis 2024 signs.
There was a bus there providing super pac, saying Santa's for