Rep. Ken Buck, a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, offered some unsolicited advice Sunday to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a GOP presidential candidate: do not attempt to “out-Trump Donald Trump.”
“There is nobody that… operates in the same area as Donald Trump,” Mr. Buck, Colorado Republican, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I think Ron DeSantis has a strong record of accomplishment in Florida when he was dealing with COVID and some other areas, and I think those are the things that he should be running on.”
Since Mr. DeSantis officially launched his 2024 White House bid last month, he has become increasingly willing to direct his campaign rhetoric at Mr. Trump, once a close ally who helped catapult him into the governor’s mansion.
Mr. Buck has not endorsed any of the Republican presidential candidates, emphasizing he is willing to stump for others like former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley or Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.
“But I do think that he — Ron — should do his very best to run on his strong record as governor,” Mr. Buck said.
