DeSantis camp unmoved by report on past Trump comments: 'Swing and a miss from Disney-funded ABC'

Team DeSantis responded to an ABC News report on Sunday showing footage of Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., preparing for his 2018 gubernatorial run and said it was "another swing and a miss from Disney-funded ABC." 

ABC News obtained recordings of DeSantis' debate preparation for his 2018 run for governor. The outlet reported that the recordings of DeSantis show a "glimpse" of how he appealed to Donald Trump's base while "also working to carve out his own lane as a candidate." 

"Another swing and a miss from Disney-funded ABC. The best their propaganda machine could do with the 2.5 hours of leaked footage is further prove that Ron DeSantis is unwilling to be anyone but his authentic self — no matter the politics," Dave Abrams, a spokesman for DeSantis' political team, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

ABC noted an exchange between Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and DeSantis during debate preparation in 2018.

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"Is there any issue upon which you disagree with President Trump?" Gaetz asked DeSantis, according to ABC News. 

"I have to figure out how to do this," DeSantis, a congressional representative at the time, responded while letting out a "deep sigh," the outlet reported.

"Obviously there is because, I mean, I voted contrary to him in the Congress," DeSantis said, according to ABC. "I have to frame it in a way that's not going to piss off all his voters."

DeSantis said he would speak to Trump in "private" if he had a disagreement, according to ABC. 

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Gaetz reacted to the ABC report on Twitter and said the release of the footage is "disloyal hackery."

"I ran the Desantis Debate Prep in 2018. Though I prefer Trump for President (bigly), the release of these videos by the person operating the camera is disloyal hackery that I do not abide. Staffers who leak on the candidates they’ve done work for deserve the reputations they get," he wrote.

DeSantis said Friday that he would decide "relatively soon" whether he would officially launch a presidential bid and challenge the former president. 

"What happens in the future? We’ll get on that relatively soon. You either gotta put or shut up on that as well. So we'll see," DeSantis said during a recent news conference. 

Trump has been widely critical of DeSantis throughout his 2024 campaign.

A Fox News Poll from the end of April found that Trump is currently leading the Republican primary field. Trump leads with 53% support among Republican primary voters, followed by DeSantis at 21%, Mike Pence at 6%, Nikki Haley at 4%, Vivek Ramaswamy at 3%, and Tim Scott and Liz Cheney at 2% each.

'Guardians of the Galaxy' star Chris Pratt says being criticized for his faith is 'nothing new'

Movie star Chris Pratt will not apologize for being a man of faith, acknowledging that the scrutiny he has received in the past for being outspoken in his beliefs is not of concern.

While at a screening for his upcoming film "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," Pratt shared that the criticism he has received isn't unique. 

"That’s nothing new, that’s nothing new, you know," he told Page Six, before quoting Scripture. 

"If I was of this world, they would love me just like that but as it is, I’ve chosen out of this world. That’s John 15: 18 through 20," he said.

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"That’s the way it is, nothing new, 2,000 years ago they hated him, too," he noted of Jesus Christ. 

Ahead of resuming his role as Star-Lord in the Marvel franchise, many people were calling for Pratt to be replaced, likely due in part to rumors from 2019 that he attended an anti-LGBTQ+ church.

Responding to speculation at the time on his Instagram story, Pratt wrote in part, "It has recently been suggested that I belong to a church which 'hates a certain group of people' and is ‘infamously anti-LGBTQ.' Nothing could be further from the truth. I go to a church that opens their doors to absolutely everyone."

"My faith is important to me but no church defines me or my life," he added.

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Last month, the director of "Guardians of the Galaxy," James Gunn rushed to Pratt's defense, saying he would never replace the actor due to "utterly false beliefs" of the public, in a since deleted tweet.

"For what?" Gunn responded to a user suggesting Pratt be recast. "Because of your made-up, utterly-false beliefs about him? For something that someone else told you about him that’s not true? Chris Pratt would never be replaced as Star-Lord but, if he ever was, we would all be going with him."

The criticism has yet to penetrate Pratt, as the star's newest movie came out this weekend.

When it comes to handling the haters, Pratt says it's like anything else, "Like a rhino, stick your head down, you keep driving forward, you have thick skin and if anyone gets in your way, you stick the horn right up their a--!"