The New York Times’ ‘Never Trump’ columnist Bret Stephens would endorse Ron DeSantis over Trump for the Republican nominee next year, he admitted in an interview with colleague Gail Collins.
“Well, as much as I dislike DeSantis for his views on abortion and Ukraine and free speech, I also have to ask whether I’d prefer him to Trump as the Republican nominee. And there the answer is a resounding yes, much as I’d much prefer a peptic ulcer to stomach cancer.”
– Bret Stephens
Stephens remained as scathing of the former President throughout the conversation, referring to Trump’s barnstorming CNN town hall appearance in May as “more mendacious, more shameless, more unapologetic, more aggressive, [and] nastier.”
He continued: “As you know, I will vote for [Biden] over Trump or DeSantis. But Democrats overstate his achievements and underestimate his unpopularity at their own — actually, our own — peril.”
The self-described “never Trump” columnist has despised the former President since before Trump’s first term. In 2017, Stephens referred to Trump as “the lying, narcissism, bullying, bigotry, crassness, name calling, ignorance, paranoia, incompetence, and pettiness.”
He even added, “I still wish Hillary Clinton were president.”