Ron DeSantis says Donald Trump isn't conservative, has 'moved left' on issues

MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa — Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis says he's more conservative than 2024 front-runner Donald Trump.

"(Trump) said he's not conservative," DeSantis told the Des Moines Register in an exclusive interview. "He's been all over the map in this campaign."

While campaigning in Iowa, DeSantis has touted his record as Florida's governor, including lifting restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, prohibiting instruction on LGBTQ topics in schools and signing a law that would ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

"I think Trump has moved left on some issues. I think he's kind of been all over the map on others. And of course, he's really consumed with his issues," DeSantis said Saturday. "And to me, I'm not running on my issues. I'm running on your issues. I'm running on the country's issues."

DeSantis does not usually dwell on criticisms of Trump, although he reminds Iowa audiences that the former president didn't keep all of his promises, such as building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and having Mexico pay for it.

In comparison, Trump openly mocks DeSantis at campaign appearances, calling him "DeSanctimonious" and a "wounded falling bird."

What does the Iowa Poll say?

DeSantis holds a distant second place behind Trump in the latest Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll. Trump is the first choice for 51% of likely Republican caucusgoers, while DeSantis is the top choice for 19%.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is third, with 16%.

More: Iowa Poll shows where Trump, DeSantis, Haley, Ramaswamy, Christie stand in Iowa Caucuses

The Iowa Poll also asked likely Republican caucusgoers to say whether GOP presidential candidates were too moderate, too conservative, or about right.

Seventy-one percent of caucusgoers said Trump was "about right," while 18% said he was too conservative and 7% said he was too moderate.

DeSantis had the next-highest share of respondents who said he was about right, with 60%. One in five caucusgoers said DeSantis was too conservative, and 15% said he was too moderate.

Asked whether Trump or Haley presents a bigger threat to his candidacy, DeSantis pointed to his robust ground game in Iowa and said, "we just have to do what we have to do." He suggested that past caucus cycles show candidates surging late, even after subpar December polling.

"A lot of times it's just different, because what the caucus is measuring is intensity, organization, all those things," he said. "It's very hard to poll that in advance. I think we're doing what has traditionally worked in Iowa rather than trying to chase some headlines."

DeSantis and Trump will both make Iowa campaign stops in the next week.

Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at kakin@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: In Iowa, Ron DeSantis says he's more conservative than Donald Trump