Suarez, a Republican newcomer for 2024, criticizes DeSantis as lacking interpersonal skills.

Republican Presidential Candidate Francis Suarez Takes Aim at Gov. Ron DeSantis

Recently announced Republican presidential candidate and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez wasted little time in attacking Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) after launching his 2024 bid this week.

During a Fox & Friends appearance, Suarez knocked DeSantis over an oft-repeated critique that he isn’t a people person.

“You know, the governor isn’t particularly a relationship guy. You know, he doesn’t have, from what I understand, a great relationship with a lot of our federal elected officials,” Suarez said, bringing up an attack that former President Donald Trump used to previously slam DeSantis.

“That’s why he lost, I think, 12 out of 13 endorsements in his own state for congressman because he doesn’t call people and he doesn’t try to build a relationship,” Suarez continued.

The majority of Florida’s GOP House members, 12 out of 20, endorsed Trump over their own sitting governor, an embarrassing display for DeSantis, as many endorsed Trump while the governor visited Washington, D.C. Trump boasted about the endorsements, going so far as to invite the members of Congress to his Mar-a-Lago residence, as DeSantis geared up to launch his own 2024 bid. Republican Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) have not yet endorsed any presidential candidate.

There were reports in April that DeSantis allies were attempting to persuade members of Congress not to endorse Trump but were rebuffed. Rep. Greg Stuebe (R-FL) told Politico that DeSantis did not reach out to him during the five years he served in the House, a sign that members of his own party were miffed with his interpersonal skills.

Suarez sought to contrast his own personability to DeSantis, as the two Floridians challenge Trump, another Florida resident, for the GOP presidential throne. “I’m very different. Like I said, I’m accessible. I call people. I’m a people person,” he said. “I love people, and I look at them in the eye and shake their hands, you know, when I see them.”

This isn’t the first time Suarez has sought to undermine DeSantis. In April, Suarez told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade during an interview that DeSantis “seems to struggle with relationships, generally.”

Last month, Suarez slammed DeSantis over his yearlong feud with Disney after the organization announced it was pulling a large investment out of Florida. “Look, he took an issue that was a winning issue that we all agreed on, which was parental rights for K through third-graders,” Suarez said. “And it looks like now it’s something that spite or maybe potentially a personal vendetta, which has cost the state now potentially 2,000 jobs in a billion-dollar investment.”

Three days after the Disney comments, Suarez went on CBS News’s Face the Nation, where he attacked DeSantis over recently passed immigration legislation, including an E-Verify law that requires employers to confirm employees working in the United States are here legally.

“I think it is already illegal to hire an undocumented worker in the United States of America. So, I’m not sure if that changes much the current law or the current state of the law,” Suarez said.

Suarez also previously admitted he voted for the governor’s Democratic gubernatorial rival Andrew Gillum in 2018 before ultimately voting for DeSantis during his 2022 reelection campaign. (Suarez also did not support Trump in 2016 or 2020.)

The Miami mayor is the only Latino candidate running for president in 2024. He faces an uphill climb to the nomination. In many national polls surveying the potential 2024 field, Suarez received 0% support, according to FiveThirtyEight.

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