Vivek Ramaswamy blasted after suggesting DeSantis a 'real danger' to GOP

In a recent interview with The Florida Standard, the Sunshine State's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis called fans of ex-President Donald Trump "listless vessels," causing significant backlash from the devoted MAGA supporters, according to Vanity Fair.

The 2024 GOP hopeful said, "A movement can’t be about the personality of one individual. If all we are is listless vessels that’s just supposed to follow, you know, whatever happens to come down the pike on Truth Social every morning, that’s not going to be a durable movement."

DeSantis' 2024 GOP rival, biotech investor Vivek Ramaswamy took offense to the governor's comment and took his response to Twitter Sunday, writing, "The real danger to our movement is the rise of 'listless-vessel' robot politicians who blindly follow the commands of their Super PACs."

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Vanity Fair reports:

The jab appeared to be a veiled reference to a trove of documents posted by a firm associated with DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down ahead of Wednesday's debate in Milwaukee. The memos, first reported by The New York Times, encourage the Florida governor to 'take a sledgehammer to Vivek Ramaswamy,' even supplying him with the ready-made epithets of 'Fake Vivek' Or 'Vivek the Fake.'

Soon after Ramaswamy's comment, journalists and former Republican lawmakers criticized the 2024 hopeful, while fans of the Florida governor ran to his defense.

Former Texas Republican Senator Konnie Burton said: "Our" movement? Who and what movement exactly?

The Hill columnist Lee Spieckerman commented: An equal danger is a slick, newly minted politician branded as 'outsider/fresh voice/deep-thinker' who espouses idiotic, dangerous positions on #Ukraine & U.S. racial issues—while vowing to pardon #Trump before any of his nearly 100 criminal indictments have even gone to trial."

READ MORE: Ron DeSantis a 'terrible debater' whom GOP candidates 'should go after': Republican strategist

Notable DeSantis supporter and politics editor of the right-wing Chronicles magazine Pedro L. Gonzales wrote: "Vivek is a grifter, but he isn't stupid. He thinks his audience is stupid, though, and this is him knowingly lying about what DeSantis said."

Former Trump lawyer and DeSantis supporter Jenna Ellis replied to Ramaswamy directly, writing: "You don't agree Americans should be principled rather than blinding following any politician or media narrative???"

READ MORE: Conservative slams DeSantis’ 'failing, fumbling campaign' as it goes from bad to worse

Vanity Fair's full report is available at this link (subscription required).