DeSantis suggests Trump gets ‘air cover’ from media

Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on Sunday took aim at the media for not holding former President Trump more accountable for refusing to participate in any of the GOP primary debates.

In an interview on Fox News’s “MediaBuzz,” DeSantis criticized the former president’s decision to forgo the upcoming GOP presidential debate, which will take place in Iowa on Wednesday, between DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Trump, meanwhile, will join a town hall during the same hour on Fox.

“Well, that’s the thing. I mean, he could easily — if he’s going to be in Iowa, he could show up and debate and have to answer questions. And he just chooses not to do that,” DeSantis said when asked about Trump’s counterprogramming move this upcoming Wednesday.

“He’s not attended any debates. He doesn’t do much campaigning. He’s got a lot of air cover from the media and so, he — you know, he’s gotten away with it so far.”

DeSantis added, however: “I do think it’ll hurt him ultimately on caucus night.”

Former President Trump is leading in The Hill/Decision Desk HQ national polling average of GOP primary polls. Nationally, Trump gets 64.1 percent support, followed by Haley’s 11.3 percent and DeSantis’s 11 percent.

In Iowa, Trump’s lead is smaller but still strong. Trump has 51.6 percent support, followed by DeSantis’s 18 percent and Haley’s 17.1 percent.

The Iowa caucuses kick off the start of the 2024 presidential contests and will take place on Jan. 15.