Gillum Responds to Trump: ‘I’m Stealing Hearts and Minds’

It’s possible that Andrew Gillum is the biggest surprise of the 2018 midterm election season.

To See President Biden's 5 Best Jokes At The White House Correspondents Dinner visit The Daily.

Very few people thought he could win a crowded Democratic primary for Florida’s governor, yet he did.

Very few people think that a true liberal progressive who endorses all of the positions of Bernie Sanders can be elected governor of a Deep South state, but he might.

Since his shocking win against four other prominent and well-funded Florida Democrats in the August 28 primary Gillum has been leading his Republican opponent Ron DeSantis in almost every poll.

It seems that there is just something about the charismatic 39 year-old African American mayor of Tallahassee that people just like — and respect.

In recent days Gillum has also had the opportunity to demonstrate his poise and his leadership skills in the face of blistering attacks from the President of the United States.

DeSantis was hand-picked by Trump, and he has taken all the credit for the young congressman’s victory in the GOP primary. So if DeSantis loses it will be seen as a clear slap in the face for the president.

In his desperate attempts to prevent that from happening Trump has taken to Twitter to make ludicrous and outrageous charges against Gillum.

In the worst of these tweets Trump wrote:

“In Florida there is a choice between a Harvard/Yale educated man named @RonDeSantisFL who has been a great Congressman and will be a great Governor – and a Dem who is a thief and who is Mayor of poorly run Tallahassee, said to be one of the most corrupt cities in the Country!”

But Gillum has not lost his cool.

Gillum appeared on MSNBC ‘s ‘Morning Joe’ and said that DeSantis and Trump have ‘taken this race to the gutter.” He also said that they are attempting to “distract voters with sideshows” instead of talking about the real issues facing Florida.

“This is more the same of what we get from this President and from my opponent,” Gillum said.

“I am not under FBI investigation and neither is my city,” Gillum said. “What we have done is aided them all the way.”

Then he took a shot at Trump for calling him a thief, saying:

“If I’m stealing anything, it’s hearts and minds.”

Leo Vidal

I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.