Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded for the first time Tuesday to former President Donald Trump’s recent criticism, dismissing the attacks he has faced in general as “noise,” before adding that he would “just tell people to look at the scoreboard last Tuesday in night.  ”   

  “One of the things I’ve learned in this job, when you’re a leader, when you get things done, yes, you take the incoming fire.  That’s just the nature of it,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Fort Walton Beach.   

  “I don’t think any governor has been more attacked, particularly by the corporate media, than I have been during my four years in office.  And yet, I think what you learn is that it’s all just noise.  And really what matters is, are you driving?  Are you having problems?  Are you delivering results for people?  And you stand up for people?  And if you do that, then none of that matters.”   

  “And that’s what we did.  We are focused on results and leadership.  And you know at the end of the day, I would just tell people to look at the scoreboard last Tuesday night,” he added.   

  The comments mark the first time DeSantis has publicly addressed the midterm results since election night, when his 19-point victory in Florida stood out as a rare bright spot for Republicans.  Over the past week, DeSantis has largely avoided situations where he might face questions about Trump or his future political aspirations.   

  In the weeks leading up to the election, DeSantis declined to address Trump’s growing hostilities and generally dismissed any talk of 2024 as premature.  But his comments Tuesday offered an early indication of how DeSantis might frame a head-on campaign against Trump if he decides to seek the Republican nomination.   

  In the space of a week, Trump went from introducing a derogatory new nickname for the Florida governor (“DeSanctimonious”) to responding to Republican demands that he tone down his domestic criticism of DeSantis ahead of Election Day , in a scathing statement.  after DeSantis’ re-election, calling him a “moderate Republican governor.”   

  When DeSantis was later asked about “real concerns” in the Republican Party about him and Trump, he responded that “some of these things are being overblown in some media.”  The Florida governor acknowledged that while there were some success stories during the midterm elections, he said there were also “many, many disappointments.”   

  Republicans have failed to win a majority in the Senate, and while they are on track to win a majority in the House, they have fallen well short of any expected red wave.   

  “I mean, that’s just the reality.  It was an extremely underwhelming, disappointing performance, especially given that (President Joe) Biden’s policies are overwhelmingly unpopular,” DeSantis said.  “People think the country is going in the wrong direction.”   

  After touting his accomplishments in the state, DeSantis added, “And so Florida, I think really shows the blueprint of what you can do to not only win, but really fundamentally change the overall political landscape in a very strong pro- of freedom.  And that’s what we did here.”