Howard Dean: DeSantis ‘Is a Fascist’ — ‘Much Scarier’ than Trump

Former Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “The Beat” that Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) was a “fascist.”

According to Dean, that made him “much scarier” than former President Donald Trump as a potential 2024 Republican presidential nominee.

Guest host Jason Johnson, “You now have some Republicans who are saying, hey, look. Maybe Donald Trump shouldn’t run again. Maybe it will be a problem. Maybe, you know, him running with all these allegations and all this violence associated with him, maybe it ends up being damaging with the party.”

He asked, “Do you think any of these potential allegations could influence when he will make an announcement? Or do you think it is just a done deal that the former president will run again in 2024?”

Dean said, “I don’t think it is a done deal at all. I have no idea what his calculation is. But you know, we won in Georgia, particularly in the Senate, because of Donald Trump. Because there were a number of Republican women, moderate Republican women in the suburbs who couldn’t stomach voting for this crook, this disgusting person. They just couldn’t. And that’s happening all over the country every day the more stuff that comes out. I’m actually hoping Trump does run.”

He added, “I think Trump’s calculation is mixed one his illness, narcissism, acute narcissism, and it is mixed with the political congratulations that he’s not very good at. There are a lot of younger people in that party that are much scarier. DeSantis, for one, who requires, just today announced he would require all students in Florida’s colleges to declare their political their views. I mean, this guy is a fascist. Trump is too narcissistic and ill to be a successful fascist even though he has all those instincts. I think he will be easier to beat than any of the other potential candidates.”

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN