Former President Donald Trump accused Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) of copying his immigration plan after criticizing the Trump-era policies as insufficient.
The former president made the comments aboard his plane on Tuesday while speaking to Semafor and ABC News, as Trump and the Florida governor, the top two candidates in the 2024 GOP presidential primary field, continue to spar. DeSantis has maintained his status as Trump's top competitor in recent months despite plummeting poll numbers that have firmed up the former president's lead. He has also remained Trump's leading political target.
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“Well, his plan is my plan,” Trump said of DeSantis's immigration platform. “I mean, he’s basically copied everything I said — catch and release, finish the wall.”
Addressing DeSantis calling for the use of "deadly force" against immigrants suspected of trafficking drugs, Trump said he had already "done that" and "would do it" again.
“You have no choice,” he said, noting that drug dealers “kill, on average, 500 people during their lifetime” through the drugs they sell.
Reached for comment, a DeSantis campaign representative directed the Washington Examiner to the governor's comments to Fox News over the weekend while in Eagle Pass, Texas, unveiling his border security plan. DeSantis criticized the former president in the clip for failing to deliver on his 2016 campaign promises regarding border security.
"Well, he said that in 2016 as well and then didn’t do it,” DeSantis said of Trump's mass deportation pledge. “I mean, they had some, but they didn’t have anything out of the ordinary, so I think we would be much more assertive than he was in his first administration.”
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“There’s gonna be a firm and swift consequence to violating the law,” he continued, referring to how his administration would handle the migrant crisis.
The Trump team has been hammering DeSantis on immigration since the latter announced his proposal to address the border on Sunday. The former president's campaign has sent out multiple emails in recent days accusing the Florida governor of ripping off Trump's immigration policies.