DeSantis says Fox News too scared to hold Trump to account: 'Worried about losing viewers'

With the Iowa Republican Caucuses fast approaching, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is not only being more aggressive against former President Donald Trump — he's also taking the gloves off in his criticism of the conservative media world.

During an interview with far-right network Newsmax in Iowa, DeSantis spoke frankly about why his chief opponent is able to consistently garner softball coverage from conservative news outlets like Fox News, pointing out that their business model essentially depends on coverage meant to placate Trump supporters.

"[Trump]'s got basically a Praetorian Guard of the conservative media — Fox News, the web sites, all the stuff — they just don't hold him accountable because they're worried about losing viewers, and they don't want to have the ratings go down," DeSantis said. "That's just the reality. That's just the truth. And I'm not complaining about it. I'd rather that not be the case, but that's just I think an objective reality."

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The Florida governor has effectively bet his entire presidential campaign on a strong finish in the Hawkeye State, spending tens of millions of dollars on ad buys and blitzing all 99 counties. However, he has little to show for it on the weekend prior to the caucuses, with the RealClearPolitics polling average showing him losing ground to former UN ambassador Nikki Haley while Trump maintains a virtually impenetrable lead over the rest of the field. Trump has never dipped below 43% support in Iowa, while DeSantis has seen his poll numbers steadily decline from roughly 28% last summer to 17% in January.

To add insult to injury, Trump has not been anywhere near as physically present in Iowa or any of the early state nominating contests as DeSantis, Haley and the rest of the 2024 GOP presidential primary contenders. While DeSantis spent last week pounding the pavement, the former president spent his week in a Manhattan courtroom, as his civil fraud trial adjourned on Thursday with Judge Arthur Engoron expecting to announce a verdict as soon as next week.

However, one remaining wild card that could be advantageous to DeSantis is a bout of arctic weather pushing into Iowa this weekend. On January 15, when Iowans are scheduled to caucus, frigid temperatures and up to a foot of snow are expected to severely depress turnout, as wind chills will be as low as 40 degrees below zero. And because Trump's base skews older, his bloc could be more prone to stay home on Monday night.

DeSantis is one of just a handful of remaining candidates, as former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie suspended his campaign prior to the Iowa Caucuses without endorsing anyone. The race is now effectively down to just Trump, DeSantis, Haley and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.

READ MORE: Going to affect turnout': Arctic temps on night of IA caucus may hit Trump's base hardest

Watch the video of DeSantis' remarks below, or by clicking this link.