Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is making his first swing through the early voting state of New Hampshire as an official presidential candidate on Thursday, and he's already getting into it with reporters.
DeSantis, who has had a contentious relationship with the media throughout his tenure, was asked at a campaign stop in Laconia by a reporter why he wasn't "taking questions from voters" — candidates in New Hampshire often take questions from the crowd after giving a speech.
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The governor, who was talking with voters individually when the Associated Press reporter asked the question, replied, "What are you talking about? I'm out here talking with people. Are you blind? Are you blind?"
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DeSantis is coming off a two-day burst of stops around Iowa, which leads off the GOP presidential primary contest next year. On Thursday, his stops in Granite State included Laconia at 9 a.m., 11:30 a.m. in Rochester, 4 p.m. in Salem and 6 p.m. in Manchester, before taking his campaign on Friday to South Carolina, another state high on the presidential voting calendar.
The visit comes on the same day that former President Donald Trump is returning to the campaign trail in Iowa. Trump and DeSantis are seen as top contenders for the GOP presidential nomination, with each man portraying himself as the stronger fighter for conservative policies.
Trump, who has spent the last few weeks attacking DeSantis on social media and mocking his glitch-filled kickoff announcement, has a series of events scheduled around Des Moines followed by a town hall airing on Fox News Channel on Thursday night. He is scheduled to return to New Hampshire on June 27 to headline the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women's annual Lilac Luncheon.
Although DeSantis had largely avoided hitting back at Trump's constant attacks before he announced his presidential run, the governor pledged in Iowa this week that he would “fight back.” He accused Trump of discarding “America First” immigration principles and having “moved left” on issues.
DeSantis' stop in New Hampshire is scheduled to look similar to his Iowa swing, with a series of appearances around the state and one event billed as a "fireside chat" with his wife, Casey DeSantis.
As Trump and DeSantis make their pitch to GOP voters, the Republican presidential field is shaping up to become even more crowded.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is expected to launch a Republican presidential campaign June 6 in New Hampshire. The next day, both Mike Pence, Trump's former vice president, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum are expected to announce campaigns of their own.
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur and “anti-woke” activist Vivek Ramaswamy are among the other candidates already in the race.
