Lara Trump told Newsmax on Friday that "the local economy will suffer" from the ongoing feud between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney that recently saw the company reverse on a major business campus in the state.
Asked about DeSantis and his ongoing legal battle with Disney, Trump said on "John Bachman Now": "I love what he has done here in the state for parental rights … but it is a fine line he walks as governor, because at what point do you actually start to hurt your own citizens?"
Trump went on to reference Disney's recent announcement that the company was canceling plans to open a $1 billon Orlando business campus, saying, "With Disney pulling out, now there's no doubt that the local economy will suffer.
"There're jobs being removed from the state, which otherwise would have gone to Florida residents. And that is a pretty tough, tough pill to swallow, I'm sure, for Ron DeSantis. There does seem to have been a bit of a crusade on his part."
Trump, who is married to Eric Trump, third child of Donald Trump, also addressed rumors that DeSantis is planning to run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, referencing the governor's recent trips abroad to countries in Asia and Europe.
"Let's face it: Ron DeSantis is running for president without saying he's running for president," Trump said. "He just did a world tour, and no one can really figure out why you would do such a thing if you weren't vying for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."
She added: "I really don't think it matters how far out of his way Ron goes to make all the stops, to do all these sort of things. The truth is, whether it's Ron DeSantis, [Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations] Nikki Haley, [or] anyone else who might get in this field: they are all running on the Trump platform.
"They are Trump 2.0. And why would anyone want to go for second best and a replica when you have the real thing running as well, which is Donald Trump."
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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