At the first two debates, Mr. DeSantis played the front-runner, attacking his opponents only when he was hit first.
This has not been an easy stretch for Mr. DeSantis, in no small part because of the attacks from Mr. Trump on everything from his foreign policy credentials to his height.
Mr. DeSantis has staked his bid on his performance in the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses on Jan. 15.
Mr. DeSantis offered a similar criticism of the president while campaigning in New Hampshire in October.
Unless Mr. Trump makes a dramatic last-minute appearance on the stage, that seems unlikely to change.
Persons:
Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy —, Donald J, Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, It’s Nikki Haley’s, Haley, Mike Pence —, DeSantis, “ Haley, ”, Mike Murphy, Ms, Will, Haley’s, Kim Reynolds, Christie, I’ve, haven’t, Mike Johnson’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Donald Trump, Bibi Netanyahu, Scott, Mr, Ramaswamy
Organizations:
— Gov, Wednesday, Miami, Republican National Committee, South, United Nations, New, NBC, Trump, Republican Party, Democrats, Israel, Democratic Party, Republican Jewish Coalition, Republican
Locations:
Miami, Milwaukee, Tuscaloosa, Ala, South Carolina, United, Florida, New Jersey, Iowa, Ukraine, New Hampshire, “