GOP nominee slammed for 'trying out to be the Trump apprentice'

Former congressman Ron DeSantis is such a devoted Trump worshipper, he actually released an ad for his gubernatorial campaign in Florida that shows him reading “The Art of the Deal” to his young son.

But when DeSantis tried to downplay this devotion during a debate with his Democratic opponent, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, Gillum humiliated DeSantis by saying he was auditioning to be “the Trump apprentice.”

During CNN’s Florida gubernatorial debate Sunday night, moderator Jake Tapper referenced DeSantis’ strange ad and asked, “Do you think [Trump] is a good role model for the children of Florida?”

DeSantis replied with a bizarre digression about Trump’s widely condemned decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, suggesting that it means Trump keeps his promises.

Gillum showed just how strange and inappropriate DeSantis’ answer was by asking Tapper to remind him what the original question was.

“The question is whether or not he thinks President Trump is a good role model for the children of Florida,” Tapper said.

“That’s what I thought, originally, I got confused,” Gillum said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

Gillum continued with the obvious answer to Tapper’s question.

“So, no, he’s not!” Gillum said. “Donald Trump is weak. And he performs as all weak people do — they become bullies, and Mr. DeSantis is his acolyte. He’s trying out to be the Trump apprentice. At every turn, he’s tweeting him, he’s talking to him, he’s showing up, he’s complimenting him.”

As Gillum pointed out throughout the debate, DeSantis has walked in lockstep with Trump every step of the way.

And when Trump attacked the City of Tallahassee even as the devastating Hurricane Michael was about to make landfall, DeSantis remained silent because, as Gillum put it, he is Trump’s “stooge.”

DeSantis has also mimicked Trump’s racism, even though he is running against the first African-American nominee for governor in Florida.

Hours after securing the Republican nomination, DeSantis unleashed an attack on Gillum that was so racist, even Fox News had to acknowledge and condemn it.

“The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up” by voting for Gillum, DeSantis said in that interview.

And given DeSantis’ racist history, this was more than just a gaffe. DeSantis has also been exposed for speaking at racist conferences, for having moderated a racist Facebook page, and even for authoring a book that excused slavery.

In his closing statement at the debate, Gillum called on voters to reject Trump’s and Desantis’ vision for America.

“We deserve better,” Gillum said. “We want better. We want better schools, access to health care, a clean economy, a restorative justice system that works where, hand in glove, the community and law enforcement work together for all of our benefit.”

As Gillum pointed out on national television, Ron DeSantis isn’t just a mirror image of Trump’s racism — he is also a rubber stamp for Trump’s disgraceful policies.

Florida really does deserve better.