Staff Reports
In a bold move that surprised many conservatives, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took a stand against former President Donald Trump’s recent comments about Hezbollah, the Lebanese terrorist group. DeSantis expressed his outrage at Trump’s description of the group as “very smart,” calling it absurd and ill-timed. In a written statement, DeSantis emphasized the long history of Hezbollah’s terrorist activities, including the murder of Israelis and Americans. He declared that as president, he would never support or praise terrorists and would always stand with Israel. DeSantis made it clear that he believes terrorists should be treated as the scum that they are.
Trump ripped for calling Hezbollah ‘very smart’https://t.co/8IDlORuPS2 pic.twitter.com/1lu4ZbNact
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) October 12, 2023
Meanwhile, at a campaign event in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump doubled down on his praise for Hezbollah, claiming that Biden’s national defense people mentioned the group as a potential threat. Trump asserted that Hezbollah is “very smart” and suggested that their involvement in the conflict could be a game-changer. This endorsement of a terrorist group by a former president drew further criticism from MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, who accused Trump of being “out of his mind” and compared his support for Hezbollah to his praise of other controversial leaders like Putin and Xi Jinping.
It’s important to note that Hezbollah is an Iran-backed terrorist organization, separate from Hamas, which recently launched an attack on Israel. In another interview, Trump claimed that if he were still in office, the attack on Israel would never have happened, just like the situation in Ukraine would have been prevented. He even went as far as suggesting that Israel wouldn’t have needed to be prepared if he were still in charge. However, the reality is that over 2,000 lives have been lost in the Israel-Hamas conflict, including at least 22 Americans.
Governor DeSantis’ vocal criticism of Trump’s remarks demonstrates a rare break from party lines and a dedication to supporting Israel and taking a strong stance against terrorism. It remains to be seen how this disagreement between DeSantis and Trump will impact their relationship moving forward.
