DeSantis Breaks With Trump Day Before Midterm as Democrats Surge

Newsweek · Hollie Silverman · 2026-11-03 18:40 UTC

The GOP governor said he was particularly concerned about an enthusiasm gap between the parties.

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis criticized several elements of President Donald Trump's second-term agenda on the eve of the midterms, arguing that the prolonged Iran conflict, higher gasoline prices and the administration's handling of immigration enforcement had contributed to a difficult political environment for the GOP.

In an interview with Stephen A. Smith on his podcast Straight Shooter, the term-limited governor said Democrats had "more momentum" heading into Tuesday's elections and claimed Republican campaigns and committees were seeing some of the same warning signs reflected in public polling.

"The polls you're seeing that show the Democrats making potentially big gains, those numbers are the same that Republican campaigns are getting right now, Republican committees," DeSantis said. "When you're in a midterm cycle, it tends to go against the party in power. I think we're seeing some of those headwinds."

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