>>> DID YOU IN ANY WAY OR DO YOU IN ANY WAY THINK THAT WAS
SOMETHING MISSTATED OR RACIST IN
ANY WAY?
ANY WAY? >> IT HAS ZERO TO DO WITH RACE.
IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH
WHETHER WE WANT FLORIDA TO
CONTINUE TO GO IF A GOOD
DIRECTION, BUILDING OFF
SUCCESSOR TURN TO LEFT WING
SOCIALIST POLICIES.
SOCIALIST POLICIES. >> SO THAT IS REPUBLICAN
CONGRESSMAN RON DESANTIS, HE’S
CONTINUING TO DEFEND HIS
COMMENTS THAT IGNITED A RACIALLY
CHARGED FIRESTORM IN THE FLORIDA
GOVERNOR ACE RACE, ONLY IN DAY
TWO.
TWO. ACCUSED OF TRYING TO STOKE
RACIAL TENSIONS WHEN HE SAID THE
POLICIES OF HIS OPPONENT, THE
FIRST MAJOR BLACK CANDIDATE FOR
GOVERNOR, WOULD HURT THE STATE,
EXACT QUOTE WAS MONKEY THIS UP.
JOINING ME NOW ANDREW GILLUM.
IT’S GOOD TO HAVE YOU ON.
>> SO GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME THIS
MORNING.
MORNING. >> LET ME START WITH YOUR
OPPONENT HAD TO SAY IN THE LAST
COUPLE OF MINUTES ON LAURA
INGRAM’S RADIO SHOW.
I WANT TO PLAY WHAT HE SAID THEN
ASK YOU ABOUT IT.
>> THE SILLY PC STUFF HAS GOT TO
STOP.
STOP. THE MANUFACTURED YOULT RAGE HAS
TO STOP.
TO STOP. THE NOTION THAT SOMEHOW THE FAR
LEFT SOCIALIST WHICH IS
DISQUALIFYING WAS NOT REALLY
WHAT I WAS TRYING TO DO SEND
SOME DOUBLE SECRET CODED
MESSAGE.
MESSAGE. IT’S ABSURD.
IT’S ABSURD. >> I’M NOT GOING TO APOLOGIZE
BECAUSE I DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING
ABOUT RACE.
ABOUT RACE. IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE,
HAD TO DO WITH A FAR LEFT
SOCIALIST PLATFORM.
SOCIALIST PLATFORM. >> A COUPLE OF THINGS HERE, DO
YOU BELIEVE DESANTIS?
>> I THINK DESANTIS DECIDED TO
PULL A PAGE FROM THE TRUMP
CAMPAIGN PLAYBOOK.
CAMPAIGN PLAYBOOK. AND I THINK IT’S UNFORTUNATE BUT
I WILL TELL YOU THIS, HALLIE.
I THINK IT WILL BE COMPLETELY
UNSUCCESSFUL.
UNSUCCESSFUL. WE’VE GOT FOOLED ONCE BY THIS
BEFORE.
BEFORE. PEOPLE ARE REALLY SICK AND TIRED
OF THIS KIND OF RACE-BAITING
DIVISION DERISIVE ELEMENT TO OUR
POLITICS.
POLITICS. AND I THINK THAT’S WHY QUITE
FRANKLY WE’RE GOING TO WIN THIS
RACE ON NOVEMBER 6th BECAUSE
WE’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE
ISSUES THAT CONFRONT EVERYDAY
FLORIDIANS, NOT FRANKLY JUMPING
IN THE SWAMP WITH THE PRESIDENT.
>> LET ME ASK YOU THEN MORE
DIRECTLY BECAUSE DESANTIS SAID I
DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING TO DO ABOUT
RACE.
RACE. IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE.
DO YOU BELIEVE WHAT HE SAID WAS
RACIST?
RACIST? DO YOU BELIEVE THAT HE IS
RACIST?
RACIST? >> I DON’T WANT TO JUMP TO NAME
CALLING AT THIS STAGE OF THE
RACE.
RACE. I’M HOPING THAT THEY WILL TRY TO
AVOID IT AS WELL, I DON’T
HOWEVER BELIEVE THAT THE
CONGRESSMAN WAS IN ANY WAY
FRANKLY TRYING TO BACK AWAY FROM
WHAT HE WAS SUGGESTING THAT HE
WAS DOING, WHICH WAS IN MY
OPINION, PLAYING A LITTLE BIT OF
A RACE CARD THERE.
I WISH HE WOULDN’T, HOWEVER,
BECAUSE I THINK HE CAN BE BETTER
THAN THAT.
THAN THAT. I THINK THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN A
HORRIBLE EXAMPLE WHEN IT COMES
TO THESE KINDS OF ISSUES.
AND QUITE FRANKLY IT’S NOT WHAT
FLORIDA VOTERS WANT TO HEAR.
THEY WANT TO HEAR WHAT WE’RE
GOING TO DO TO ADDRESS
AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND WE HAVE
AL GEE OUT OF THE EAST AND WEST
SIDE OF THE STATE, INSTEAD OF
QUOTE/UNQUOTE MONKEYING THINGS
UP.
UP. I NEVER EVEN HEARD THAT PHRASE,
NOT USED IN THE CONTEXT OF HIS
CONVERSATION.
CONVERSATION. THAT HE WOULD STICK TO WHAT’S
IMPORTANT.
IMPORTANT. THAT’S WHAT BEERWE’RE GOING TO D
IMPROVE THE STATE OF FLOR CAR.
>> WHAT YOU DID HEAR THAT
PHRASE, WHAT DID YOU THINK?
>> I TELL YOU, FIRST OF ALL, I
REALLY TRIED TO STAY ON A HIGH
AS IT RELATES TO WHAT WAS FOR US
A PRETTY AMAZING VICTORY THE
OTHER NIGHT.
OTHER NIGHT. REALLY NOBODY THOUGHT WE COULD
PULL THIS THING OFF.
WE PROBABLY RAISED A TOTAL OF $6
MILLION COMPARED TO MY FOUR
OPPONENTS WHO RAISED AND SPENT
OVER $90 MILLION.
NO ONE SAW IT COMING BUT WE DID
THE HARD WORK.
WE WORKED STEADY.
WE ENGAGED VOTERS AND TALK THE
TO THEM ABOUT THE ISSUES.
I WENT TO RED AREAS, BLUE AREAS
AND PURPLE AREAS OF THE STATE.
I WAS TRYING TO CONTINUE TO RIDE
THAT HIGH OF A CONVERSATION AND
UNFORTUNATELY, MR. DESANTIS WENT
IMMEDIATELY TO THE GUTTER.
I THOUGHT IT WAS INAPPROPRIATE
BUT I CERTAINLY THINK HE’S SHOWN
US VERY WELL WHERE HE WANTS TO
TAKE THIS RACE.
HE’S -- I THINK STAKING HIS RACE
ON QUITE FRANKLY FOLLOWING
TRUMP’S PLAYBOOK AND THAT IS
GOING TO THE GUTTER AND I HOPE
THAT AS WE COMPLETE THESE NEXT
TEN WEEKS THAT HE’LL FIND A NEW
NORTH STAR.
NORTH STAR. I CERTAINLY PLAN ON STAYING HIGH
AND INVITE HIM TO JOIN ME ON
HIGHER GROUND.
HIGHER GROUND. >> JUST TO WRAP UP THIS PART OF
THE CONVERSATION, QUICKLY HERE
HE SAYS HE’S NOT GOING TO
APOLOGIZE.
APOLOGIZE. DO YOU WANT HIM TO APOLOGIZE AND
WOULD YOU ACCEPT AN APOLOGY?
>> HE DOESN’T NEED TO APOLOGIZE
TO ME, HE NEEDS TO APOLOGIZE TO
FLORIDA VOTERS.