‘Who Needs Democrats With Mr. Trump Around?’: Wall Street Journal Criticizes Trump’s Attack On DeSantis

The Wall Street Journal editorial board is known for being staunchly conservative, but they’re not afraid to call out former President Trump when he’s wrong. In a recent editorial, they criticized Trump’s characterization of Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis’ record, calling it “untenable.” Trump had made various claims about DeSantis’ tenure, but the Journal wasn’t buying it. They pointed out that DeSantis was re-elected with 59.4% of the vote and that Trump was using Left-leaning studies and even ESPN to back up his claims. The Journal also clarified that a 2022 Oxfam report that Trump cited actually dings states with right-to-work laws and forces Florida to lose points because it doesn’t allow localities to implement their own minimum wage laws. Trump also cited the Florida Policy Institute, which wants undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, prompting the Journal to call his association with the group “bizarre.” Trump used many rankings from the website WalletHub, but the Journal noted that Florida has been listed as the No. 2 best state in which to retire, No. 2 for starting a business, No. 2 for fewest coronavirus restrictions, No. 2 “most fun” state, No. 4 best for teachers, No. 6 for low taxes, and No. 7 for best state to live in overall. The Journal concluded that Florida is a model of successful GOP governance and that Republicans should be arguing they can do the same for the country if voters put them in charge of Washington. Instead, Trump is borrowing lefty tropes and sources and making the same kinds of attacks on Florida that President Biden would. The Journal’s final jab at Trump? “The funniest part about Mr. Trump’s effort to claim Florida is a dump? He still lives there. If he’s really miserable, why not relocate to one of his homes in New York or New Jersey?”