EAGLE PASS, Texas — White House hopeful Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is confident the GOP will appeal to more voters and, in turn, win more seats in Congress if he's at the top of the ticket come next November, as opposed to former President Donald Trump.
The two-term Florida governor visited the Texas border town on Sunday and Monday and shared with the Washington Examiner that he would take his own executive actions to resolve border security matters, but he would need a House and Senate willing to do their part in changing policies.
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Asked if he believed Trump's time had passed and if the former president should "move out of the way and let other Republicans come forward," DeSantis focused on how his campaign sought to have a broader reach than under Trump.
"I'm running to win because I think we will be able to. Of course, you've got to compete and win the primary," DeSantis said in response to a Washington Examiner question during a press conference set up a matter of feet from the Rio Grande, which separates the United States and Mexico. "We think we can win a really strong general election victory, expand the Republican majorities in the House and Senate, and then actually be able to bring all these issues to fruition, and when you bring the issues to fruition and actually get the job done and deliver results, that, at the end of the day, I think, is what people really, really want to see."
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"In Florida, everything we promised, we did, and we actually overdelivered on our promises. And I think that that's something that's very, very significant. When you look at most people that get elected to office, they overpromise and underdeliver. How many times have you seen somebody meet the promises, much less exceed them?" DeSantis continued. "That's the mindset that we have — a part of the reason we're able to get this done is because, you know, we just have a discipline and focus about doing the people's work by getting that job done."
DeSantis announced his candidacy in May. He unveiled his border security policy earlier on Monday and vowed to go further than Trump had gone and titled his plan "No Excuses."