A Fox News host said the network does not “condone” a controversial comment made by Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., after the Republican gubernatorial candidate implored Florida voters to not “monkey this up” by casting their ballot for Democratic challenger Andrew Gillum, who would be the first black governor of Florida if elected.
“A little while ago, we had Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee for governor in Florida on for an interview to discuss the Florida election,” Fox News’ Sandra Smith said Wednesday. “During the interview, he made what some are calling an inappropriate comment about his Democratic opponent, Andrew Gillum.”
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In a Fox News interview the day after both candidates won their respective Florida primaries, DeSantis claimed Gillum is “much too liberal for Florida” and an “articulate spokesman for those far-left views.”
“The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state,” he said. “That’s not going to work; that’s not going to be good for Florida.”
Afterwards, Smith shared a statement from a DeSantis spokesman which claimed the congressman had been referring to Florida rejecting socialist policies.
“Ron DeSantis was obviously talking about Florida not making the wrong decision to embrace the socialist policies that Andrew Gillum espouses,” the statement read. “To characterize it as anything else is absurd. Florida’s economy has been on the move for the last eight years, and the last thing we need is a far-left democrat trying to stop our success.”
“We do not condone this language and wanted to make our viewers aware that he has since clarified his statement,” Smith said afterwards.
She also said Gillum would appear on the network later Wednesday afternoon to respond.
[Opinion: Ron DeSantis and Andrew Gillum absolutely wallop the Florida political establishment]
