Newly announced presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said late Wednesday that he plans to cut through early-vote states with a dizzying schedule of campaign breaks starting next week.
The initial storm, sources say, is partly to create an early impression of the 44-year-old DeSantis as a youthful and energetic counterpoint to his 76-year-old fundamental opponent, former President Donald Trump.
“After we work, we work very hard,” the Florida governor said in a telephone interview with reporters. “We’re not only going to show up once for a blue moon. I mean, we’re there. We’ll paint every corner of these early states. And that can start in earnest next week.”
ABC News reported on Thursday that DeSantis will hold a “campaign kickoff” in Des Moines, Iowa on May 30, kicking off a four-day swing through 12 stops across states including Recent Hampshire and South Carolina.
While Trump’s stamina and breakneck schedule have often been mentioned, sources say DeSantis’ aides see the president’s 45-year-old as a possible obstacle as former allies vie for party supremacy.
![Ron DeSantis in the campaign video.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011689870.jpg?w=1024)
“Trump overworked Clinton,” a DeSantis source told The Post. “Trump beat Biden. He isn’t going to overwork us. That is one aspect we are able to control here.”
Trump has made relatively few public appearances outside of his Mar-a-Lago resort since last November he announced his third consecutive candidacy for the White House. He held a rally in Recent Hampshire in late April before returning to Granite State earlier this month for CNN’s controversial Town Hall. He also decided to postpone a scheduled rally in Des Moines due to the threat of severe weather conditions.
The previous president attacked DeSantis on social media Wednesday night as he advanced his candidacy, portraying the Sunshine state governor as all the pieces from a hidden RINO to a clumsy ungrateful.
DeSantis returned fire at his rival, counting on one of his fundamental lines of attack – difficult Trump’s commitment to conservatism.
![Florida Governor Ron DeSantis](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011620150.jpg?w=1024)
Florida’s governor said Trump attacked him for opposing two initiatives he supported while in the White House – namely the omnibus spending bill and the immigration amnesty plan.
“I believe it draws a helpful contrast to me,” DeSantis said. “I absolutely don’t think he must have signed those omnibus bills. It added nearly $8 trillion to the debt over 4 years. I’m glad to be on the conservative side of this debate because I feel our debts have grown far an excessive amount of.”
The governor also tossed Trump’s support for an immigration bill that will provide some funding for a border wall as a disguised give up.
![former President Donald Trump](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000010257854.jpg?w=1024)
“I oppose the amnesty,” he said. “It was supposed to be an America First policy that opposes amnesty. Yet he supported and tried to push through an amnesty. So these are the contrasts I’d love to speak about.”
DeSantis also downplayed Trump’s disheartening lead in most polls, attributing the margin to the former president’s fame and recognition.
“I’d be shocked if the former president wasn’t driving,” he said. “He’s 100% confirmed – he’s one of the most famous people in the world and was the president of the United States.”
![Governor-elect Ron DeSantis of Florida talks with President Donald Trump during a meeting with the newly elected governors in the White House Cabinet.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/Election_2024_DeSantis_41937-fb49c.jpg?w=1024)
The governor said he expects Trump’s lead to weaken as his campaign begins to gain momentum.
“This case is just starting,” he said. “I do not think the average Republican voter is obsessive about it yet. I believe it should take a while. But I believe we’ve got the next few months to construct what we want to construct. “
While some Republican observers fear a cross-party clash could irreparably divide the GOP, DeSantis said his policies would ultimately function a unifying force.
“It is not like I’m taking a political position that alienates huge numbers of Republicans,” he said. “And so people will see someone who has been successful who represents the values that the overwhelming majority of our party shares.”
DeSantis, who announced his offer on Twitter Spaces from Tallahassee, plans to travel to Miami on Thursday to speak to a gathering of outstanding donors at the 4 Seasons Hotel.