Francis Suarez says Ron DeSantis ‘seems to struggle with relationships’

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez took a jab at Gov. Ron DeSantis’ social skills in a Fox News interview Thursday morning, a rare criticism as the mayor considers a 2024 White House bid and the governor takes a back seat to former President Donald Trump in the polls.

Host Brian Kilmeade asked Suarez how he differs from DeSantis and pointed out that the mayor does not have a good relationship with the governor — Suarez and DeSantis have rarely spoken since 2020, when Suarez contracted COVID-19 early in the pandemic.

“Well, he seems to struggle with relationships, generally,” Suarez replied. “I look people in the eye when I shake their hands.”

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Suarez said most Republicans in the Florida Congressional delegation are backing Trump, and he took a shot at DeSantis for reportedly not calling donors himself. The mayor cited a Washington Post article that reported DeSantis sought an endorsement from U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, by having a pollster phone the congressman. Trump, who secured Buchanan’s endorsement, reportedly called the congressman himself.

Suarez rarely takes aim at DeSantis. The mayor voted for DeSantis’ opponent, Democrat Andrew Gillum, in 2018, prompting criticism from Florida’s Republican establishment. In December 2020, Suarez called for cities to have more freedom to impose local COVID restrictions after DeSantis blocked cities from enforcing fines and shutting down businesses.

While he’s swiping at DeSantis’ personality, Suarez has not taken stances on the governor’s policies. When the Miami Herald asked Suarez how he stood on key parts of DeSantis’ legislative agenda, Suarez avoided taking positions.

READ MORE: As he weighs presidential run, Suarez avoids taking positions on DeSantis’ policies

Yet Thursday’s comments are among Suarez’s most pointed as he apparently nears a decision on a run for the Republican presidential nomination. The mayor said he was “close to making a decision” because any candidate ought to be at the first Republican primary debate on Aug. 20, which will be hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee.

“I’m comfortable being a retail politician. I’m comfortable talking to people,” Suarez said Thursday morning. “I just came back from New Hampshire. Before that, I was in South Carolina, in Iowa and Nevada, and these are states that are approximately the size of Miami-Dade County. And you know, you have to be able to be comfortable.”

Most recent polls show DeSantis behind Trump. A Fox News poll that included Suarez in late March showed him at 0%.

Suarez avoided any negative words for Trump. He said the GOP has an “incredibly talented bench” prepared to run for the nomination, and he drew a distinction between himself and President Joe Biden.

“In Joe Biden’s America, when you contrast it to Francis Suarez’s Miami, it couldn’t be any more different,” Suarez said. “Rapid inflation. You see it in rising interest rates, fentanyl crisis, homelessness.”