Former GOP Staffer Calls Back-and-Forth Between Trump and DeSantis The ‘I Know You Are But What Am I’ Strategy

Former GOP communications director Tara Setmayer described the mud-slinging between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis as the “I know you are but what am I” strategy.

MSNBC’s Chris Jansing asked Setmayer, “Can anyone really win a slugfest against Donald Trump?”

“No, we’ve seen this before,” Setmayer said. “This is the exact same scenario, almost, as 2015 and ’16. And, Marco Rubio tried that, and we saw what happened with Marco Rubio getting completely dressed down by Donald Trump. He became ‘Little Marco,” and that was the end of that. And, of course, Chris Christie sacrificing himself in a political kamikaze move to take out Rubio, as well.

“So, this ‘I know you are but what am I’ strategy we’re seeing developing between Trump and DeSantis, just trading barbs like this, it’s so immature and petulant. This does not demonstrate seriousness for someone who’s running to be the leader of the free world. And, I don’t know, maybe for Republican primary voters, they’re entertained by this. But if they want an entertainer, they’re going to go with Donald Trump. We’ve already seen this; This is why Trump is so far ahead of everyone, including DeSantis.”

Setmayer called the other declared GOP candidates, including Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, and Vivek Ramaswamy, basically just “vanity candidates.”

“So, all of these vanity candidates that are out there are simply going to hand this right back to Trump again because none of them are willing to get out and consolidate behind one person, “Setmayer said. “I find Chris Christie’s entrance into the race the most interesting because, seeing them on a debate stage, that could be something to watch. But Chris Christie is incredibly unpopular with the Republican primary voters. So, who’s voting for him, in what states? What’s his path? I don’t see it.”

Watch the MSNBC clip above.