Greg Kelly: Trump v. DeSantis 'Is Politics,' 'No Big Deal'

The media, and even conservative media, is "getting it all wrong and overreacting" to former President Donald Trump firing salvos against Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, according to Newsmax's Greg Kelly.

"All right, calm down, everybody — they don't know what they're talking about," Kelly said in his Friday night "Greg Kelly Reports" opening monologue. "Going after Ron DeSantis? You call this an attack?"

"This is child's play, what's happening between the DeSantis and Trump right now, and it's also politics. It's no big deal."

Kelly detailed Trump's scathing rebuke of Fox News and conservative media concerned about him preemptively challenging potential 2024 presidential primary opponents, noting people are forgetting Trump is New York fighter, a billionaire beholden to no one, and not a politician.

"Ultimately, he's always right," Kelly said, expressing no panic the conservative media is sharing over looming GOP primary in-fighting. "I am very, very confident in him and whatever he wants to do next, and I have been quite clear: I hope that includes running for and winning the presidency.

"So as usual, the mainstream media certainly can't figure it out, but also the conservative media, surprisingly and very disappointingly. And actually, when it comes to Fox, not that surprisingly."

The media spends time attacking Trump, but they should spend more time trying to understand where he is coming from, Kelly said, noting "DeSantis really studied Trump, and he copied him a lot" and he should be a bit more respectful to Trump and not foment a 2024 GOP primary with silence.

"Now the media — conservative media, too — are having a meltdown about Donald Trump," Kelly continued. "They still haven't figured him out after all of these years. Instead of being outraged by him all the time, why don't you study him? Why don't you learn something?

"But this statement that Donald Trump put out that's getting everybody all upset, it's fine," Kelly added. "It's nothing really that crosses the line."

The "Ron DeSanctimonious" nickname is not only harmless by political standards, but it is fitting, according to Kelly, after a Florida gubernatorial campaign ad suggested DeSantis was delivered to Florida by the hand of God on the eighth day.

"Whoa! Whoa! He's the governor of a state, relax, all right?" Kelly said after playing portions of the sanctimonious campaign ad. "And there's a lot of politicking and glad handing. Easy there, please.

"I mean, 'DeSanctimonious' that totally works."

Kelly broke down Trump's lengthy statement this week that caused a political firestorm on cable TV this week, saying, "what I'm trying to do here is show you that this is actually a reasonable statement — it is."

DeSantis' silence and Fox News attackers are turning on Trump, and he is fighting back on it, Kelly continued.

"I agree with President Trump," Kelly said. "Now, in political circles, this happens all the time, people just turn their back on [you].

"You forget what you did for them. That's politics. But remember, Donald Trump is not a politician, and he has to play by their rules — and if they break the rules, actually their own rules – he's free to point it out.

"Fox News is turning on him now and, yes, they turned on him. They were never really with him until, as he said, he got elected."

DeSantis has "copied" Trump's policies and even mannerisms to achieve his victories, according to Kelly.

"If you haven't noticed this, DeSantis has picked up everything he does as governor from Donald Trump — in terms of substance and policy, and oh, yeah, style," Kelly said, noting DeSantis' accordion-like hand motions during a news conference, just like Trump has done for years.

"Look at that. Now. You think DeSantis was talking in this? Hey, I'm fine with that. And I like Ron DeSantis for president someday, but I believe he owes it to President Trump to sit this one out."

And, like Trump's statement mentioned this week, Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin does, too, Kelly concluded.

"Everything that he said about Youngkin, about DeSantis, quite frankly, is factual, and measured and responsible — certainly when compared to what the Democrats say about each other," Kelly said. "It's amazing. They try to depict him as some sort of barbarian."

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