DeSantis: 'Underdog' Status May Lead to Iowa Success

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, making the last-minute rounds on Sunday's network talk shows before Iowans head out in blizzard conditions to the caucuses Monday, insisted that while the polls are not going his way in the race for the GOP presidential nomination, being considered an "underdog" may work in his favor.

"Our voters have an opportunity to have their vote count in a meaningful way," DeSantis said on ABC News' "This Week." "Any one of our voters who are out there bringing friends and family, man, that's going to pack a punch. So we're going to do well, but I like the fact that they're viewing me as an underdog. I think that's better."

Former President Donald Trump is the front-runner in the polls, leaving DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley seen as the two fighting for a second-place finish.

Haley late Saturday overtook DeSantis in a Des Moines Register/NBC News poll, which gave Trump 48%; Haley, 20%; and DeSantis, 16%.

DeSantis, though, told ABC that Trump is "running for his issues" and failed to deliver on his promises to build the wall, drain the swamp, or reduce the debt. "I've also taken on and beaten the Democrats and the left, and in reality, Donald Trump as president, oftentimes got beaten by the Democrats at the border," said DeSantis. "We have an opportunity to have a two-term president, someone that's going to be able to win decisively and then actually bring all this stuff into fruition, and I'm the guy to do it."

Trump, meanwhile, is "focused a lot on things that concern him" including his legal issues, and that ends up turning attention to "things that are going to be advantageous for Democrats," said DeSantis.

"You're not going to be talking about the border," he said. "You're not going to be talking about the economy. You're going to be talking about all these things to make the election a referendum on Donald Trump."

DeSantis also dismissed the polls, particularly in Iowa.

"How you can poll a caucus, much less one in -22 [degree temperatures]?" said DeSantis. "Our voters are ready. They're going to turn out…we're going to do well, but I'd rather have people count us out. I'd rather have people lower expectations for us. I tend to perform better like that."

Meanwhile, DeSantis, also appearing on CNN's "State of the Union," predicted a "good night" at the caucuses and insisted that he is in the race for the "long haul," even if he pulls in a third-place finish.

He also said that Trump may have "overplayed" his expectations for the caucus.

The governor said that on Tuesday, the day after the caucus, he's traveling to New Hampshire and South Carolina for events, and noted that he will be in the upcoming Nevada caucus against Trump, but Haley will not, meaning she won't win any delegates there.

"If you're in it to win it, you have to compete for every single delegate," said DeSantis.

Meanwhile, DeSantis said there are still many voters in Iowa who have not yet made a final decision between him and Trump.

"I think some of the voters appreciate what he did, but they do understand that there are some drawbacks here about nominating him in 2024," he said. "A lot of folks will go to the caucus without 100% of the minds made up and that is why we've had people speaking on my behalf and delivering the message and hopefully able to bring some of the votes home."

DeSantis Sunday also talked about Trump's criticism of Biden's actions in the Middle East, including the strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.

"I don't know what Biden's larger strategy is," he said. "I've been critical of how he's handled the protection of the troops because they've been able to take potshots without enough response, but clearly you can't let terrorist groups take over shipping through the Red Sea. That would have serious implications."

DeSantis on "Fox News Sunday," discussed the caucus and polls, along with his plans to "empower" states to fight illegal immigration.

"We support Texas to the hilt," he said. "They have every right to defend their border. With me being president, it will not be an issue.

"I will empower states to enforce federal immigration law. … All Texas is trying to do is be faithful to the law while Biden is not enforcing the law."