Trump Threatens To ‘Fire’ Florida Governor If He Loses The State In November

Topline

President Trump on Friday said he would blame Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis if he lost the potentially pivotal battleground state in the presidential election and quipped about firing him – a statement that raised eyebrows due to Trump’s history of accusing Democratic governors of working to tilt the election against him.

Key Facts

Key Background

Trump often makes similar statements of questionable legality at his rallies, including saying in September he would negotiate for a third term in office because he’s “entitled” to it. He also spoke about issuing an executive order to prevent Biden from becoming president at a rally in September, exclaiming, “You can’t have this guy as your president.”

Chief Critic

Biden said earlier this month he warned governors that their support for him could lead to retaliation from Trump. “I told some governors, don’t endorse me, who wanted to endorse me,” he said during a virtual town hall with the Amalgamated Transit Union. “Don’t endorse me because you’ll pay a penalty. You won’t get what you need from the federal government in terms of COVID prep.”

Big Number

1.4 points. That’s the size of Biden’s lead in Florida in the RealClearPolitics average. Trump won the state in 2016 by roughly that amount.