Florida Democrat and gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum has responded to a tweet by President Donald Trump that refers to Gillum as a “thief” and praises his GOP opponent, Ron DeSantis, as a “Harvard/Yale educated man.”
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 29, 2018
Calling Trump’s attack “baseless,” Gillum told The Guardian’s Sabrina Siddiqui that the president needs to “grow up” and start thinking about the consequences of his actions.
“And in this day where we’re seeing such dangerous rhetoric turn into political violence, I think the president should demonstrate much more maturity and restraint,” Gillum said. “I think he’s not yet caught grasp of the weight of this moment that we find ourselves politically in the nation.”
I just asked @AndrewGillum about the President’s tweet. He said Trump should “grow up” and show restraint at a time when “we’re seeing dangerous rhetoric turn into political violence.” Full answer below… https://t.co/8NFTgWEbvJ pic.twitter.com/iJ4VcVoFwo
— Sabrina Siddiqui (@SabrinaSiddiqui) October 29, 2018
Referring to Cesar Sayoc, the 56-year-old Floridian accused of mailing a series of pipe bombs to the president’s critics, Gillum urged Trump to “demonstrate better restraint” and exhibit a “greater sense of responsibility.”