Following the third Republican debate on Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) lauded NBC in a post-debate interview, stating that the network “performed admirably.”
The debate’s moderators, Lester Holt of NBC and Kristen Welker, were also commended by him.
The second Republican debate, held in Simi Valley, California, was marred by antagonistic candidates, peculiar questions, and chaotic instances in which candidates spoke over one another.
“I think the people at home probably got a good viewing experience, because the questions were substantive, people were able to talk, there wasn’t a lot of screaming back and forth, and so I think the value of this debate was probably more than the one we did in Simi Valley,” DeSantis said.
Although some controversy remained, Wednesday’s debate was considerably less turbulent than previous editions.
Additionally, he criticized former President Trump, who has conspicuously abstained from all Republican debates.
“When he [Trump] gives speeches, it’s usually off the teleprompter, and I think his view is like, well, he has a polling lead, therefore, why would he want to get involved and actually earn the job? But that’s not the way this goes,” DeSantis remarked.
Next month, the former president is also anticipated to forego the fourth presidential debate in Alabama.
[READ MORE: DeSantis Speaks Out on Why He’s the Superior Candidate to Trump]