Carlos Barria/Reuters
President Donald Trump talks with Republican Florida governor candidate Ron DeSantis during a Make America Great Again Rally at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida, July 31, 2018.
- President Donald Trump claimed that "Florida will become Venezuela" if Mayor Andrew Gillum of Tallahassee, the Democratic candidate running in Florida's gubernatorial election, is elected over Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis.
- Trump alluded to Venezuela's hyperinflation crisis, which has spurred riots, and caused power, food, and medicine shortages.
- Trump gave DeSantis, a vocal supporter of Trump, a glowing endorsement.
President Donald Trump claimed that "Florida will become Venezuela" if Mayor Andrew Gillum of Tallahassee, the Democratic candidate running in Florida's gubernatorial election, is elected over Republican Rep. Ron DeSantis.
Trump, without any evidence of a crime, accused Gillum of being a "thief" during a Fox News interview that aired Monday. He called Tallahassee, where Gillum has served as mayor since 2014, a "corrupt" town.
In his remarks, Trump alluded to allegations that Gillum improperly accepted gifts as mayor, and the FBI's extensive investigation into possible corruption of Tallahassee's public officials.
Trump also referenced Venezuela's hyperinflation crisis, which has spurred riots, and caused power, food, and medicine shortages. Around 7% of its population has reportedly fled, a higher rate than Syria, and the country is expected to face a 1,000,000% inflation rate by the end of the year.
"If Florida has a governor like that, and I know Florida better than I know practically anywhere, Florida will become Venezuela," Trump said. "It will be a disaster."
Trump gave DeSantis, a vocal supporter of Trump, a glowing endorsement in his interview: "And you have Ron DeSantis, who is a Harvard, Yale guy," Trump said. "He's a very good person."
"This other guy, is a stone-cold, in my opinion, he's a thief," Trump said of Gillum, echoing the label he gave the mayor earlier on Monday. "How can you have a guy like this?"
Gillum responded to Trump's attack on Monday night: "I heard Donald Trump ran home to Fox News to lie about me. But as my grandmother told me - never wrestle with a pig. You both get dirty, but the pig likes it."
Several polls place Gillum with a marginal lead in the closely-watched election, with the biggest disparity coming from Gillum's 12-point advantage in a CNN Poll conducted by SSRS.
If elected, Gillum will become Florida's first African-American governor.