Congressman: DeSantis Vowed to Oust Lawmakers Backing Trump

Republican Rep. Greg Steube claimed on a podcast that presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis threatened to primary members of Congress if they endorsed former President Donald Trump over him.

Steube, who represents Florida's 17th Congressional District, relitigated his apparent feelings of contempt for Florida's governor on Monday on Donald Trump Jr.'s podcast, "Triggered With Don Jr." The congressman, who previously endorsed Trump for president, said in April that DeSantis never responded to Steube's attempts to discuss political issues.

Adding to that on Trump Jr.'s podcast, Steube said he was excluded from briefings and press conferences with DeSantis whenever they were in his district.

"When he would come into town, they would exclude me from briefings," Steube said. "Hurricanes bearing down on my district, and they wouldn't even allow me to be a part of a press conference in my own district."

Adding to his list of grievances against DeSantis on the podcast, the congressman from Florida said he was miffed because DeSantis threatened to primary members of Congress who didn't endorse him.

"That is not how leaders operate," Steube said. "You don't operate by fear."

DeSantis entered the running against Trump and a slate of other Republican candidates on May 24 via a glitchy Twitter Spaces rollout where the feature repeatedly crashed, leaving DeSantis to later claim his announcement "broke the internet."

The Florida governor currently trails Trump by double-digits in national polls.

A spokesperson for DeSantis' campaign did not respond to Insider's request for comment.