Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that theories about fraud in the 2020 election “did not prove to be true,” marking his most direct rebuke of former President Trump’s election claims yet.
“All those theories that were put out did not prove to be true,” the Florida governor said at a campaign event in Iowa, according to The New York Times.
“It was not an election that was conducted the way I think that we want to, but that’s different than saying [Venezuelan President Nicolás] Maduro stole votes or something like that,” he added. “Those theories, you know, proved to be unsubstantiated.”
DeSantis has previously dodged questions about the former president’s claims that the 2020 election was “stolen,” declining to say whether he believes Trump lost the race to President Biden.
The Florida governor’s latest response comes one day after Trump was arraigned in Washington on federal charges related to his efforts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election.
However, DeSantis did not shy away from criticizing the Justice Department over the indictment Tuesday, blaming the “weaponization of government” for the newest charges against Trump.
“As President, I will end the weaponization of government, replace the FBI Director, and ensure a single standard of justice for all Americans,” he said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the indictment was unsealed.
He also called for reforms “so that Americans have the right to remove cases” to their home districts. Trump claimed ahead of his Thursday arraignment it would be impossible for him to get a fair trial in Washington.
“Washington, D.C., is a ‘swamp’ and it is unfair to have to stand trial before a jury that is reflective of the swamp mentality,” DeSantis said.