- Ron DeSantis, 45, says his onetime mentor Donald Trump, 77, is too old to be president.
- “The presidency is not a job for somebody that’s pushing 80 years old,” DeSantis told CNN on Sunday.
- DeSantis said he would be a better candidate because he’s in the prime of his life.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida told CNN on Sunday that his mentor-turned-rival Donald Trump is too old to be president.
“The presidency is not a job for somebody that’s pushing 80 years old,” DeSantis said of Trump, who celebrated his 77th birthday in June.
“I just think that that’s something that has been shown with Joe Biden,” DeSantis continued, referencing President Joe Biden, who turns 81 on Monday. “Father Time is undefeated. Donald Trump is not exempt from any of that.”
DeSantis went on to say that his own age would make him a better GOP presidential candidate.
“I’m in the prime of my life. I go in day one, I’ll serve two terms, deliver big results, and get the country moving again,” DeSantis told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “That’s what Republican voters want to see.”
DeSantis has usually shied away from attacking his former mentor directly even though both are vying for the GOP presidential nomination.
Trump continues to be seen as the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential primary. He has led DeSantis by nearly 50% in several recent polls for Republican candidates.
A representative for the Trump campaign told Business Insider that the former president was trouncing DeSantis in the polls, and slammed DeSantis for making the comments against Trump.
Representatives for DeSantis did not immediately respond to a request for comment from BI sent outside regular business hours.
