Vivek Ramaswamy slammed Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for calling those who blindly follow former President Donald Trump “listless vessels.”
“The real danger to our movement is the rise of “listless-vessel” robot politicians who blindly follow the commands of their Super PACs,” Ramaswamy wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday.
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The real danger to our movement is the rise of “listless-vessel” robot politicians who blindly follow the commands of their Super PACs.
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) August 20, 2023
On Friday, DeSantis claimed a movement can be about one person, referring to Trump. He dismissed claims that he is a RINO — or a Republican in name only, saying they are “totally fabricated.”
“Because if you’re not rooted in principle, if all we are is listless vessels that’s just supposed to follow … whatever happens to come down the pike on Truth Social every morning, that’s not going to be a durable movement,” DeSantis said in an interview with the Florida Standard.
Trump’s campaign responded to the remarks, asking for an apology from his 2024 Republican opponent.
“The dishonest media refuses to report the facts — Donald Trump and some congressional endorsers are “listless vessels.” Why? Because Trump and DC insiders feel he is entitled to your vote,” DeSantis’s press secretary Bryan Griffin said. “Ron DeSantis believes your trust should be earned and has the vision, plan, and record to beat Joe Biden and reverse the decline of our country.”
“That’s why Ron DeSantis will be showing up on Wednesday night to debate, and Donald Trump will not,” Griffin said about Trump planning on skipping the first Republican primary debate, airing an interview with Tucker Carlson in a counter-event.
Ramaswamy and DeSantis have been at odds after an opposition research memo from the Florida governor’s super PAC Never Back Down was published Thursday, suggesting he should take a “sledgehammer” to the political newcomer in the first Republican debate this week.
Posted on the website of Axiom Strategies, the memo outlined a number of campaign strategies for DeSantis, urging him to label his Republican opponent “FakeVivek” or “Vivek the Fake.”
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Vivek said he is focused on his own campaign rather than attacking others, as a response to the document, saying on Fox News, “I think we have a choice between super PAC puppets who are being propped up with prepped lines and millions of dollars to go along with it.”
DeSantis denounced the leaked Never Back Down memo on Saturday, claiming on Fox News that it’s not his and he’s never read it.
