EXCLUSIVE: Former Trump aide who is leading DeSantis’ Super PAC insists Vivek Ramaswamy and Tim Scott are NOT threats – despite their rapid rise in the polls and the Florida governor’s decline

The founder of the pro-Ron DeSantis Never Back Down political action committee told DailyMail.com that he does not see Senator Tim Scott or Vivek Ramaswamy as threats to the governor of Florida.

Ken Cuccinelli, who was a top Homeland Security aide under Donald Trump, left the former president and is now helping to support DeSantis’ bid for the White House.

As DeSantis constantly polls a distant second to Trump, some other candidates in the crowded field are gaining ground on him with Scott and Vivek often swapping for third place — but Cuccinelli isn’t concerned.

Rather, he says, “the oxygen keeps being sucked out of the room” every time Trump receives a new indictment.

Cuccinelli said Wednesday’s debate would help DeSantis (pictured Friday) gain traction with American voters who couldn’t see him without the media lens

Cuccinelli said Wednesday’s debate will help DeSantis gain traction with American voters who haven’t been able to see his character firsthand and not through a media lens.

Speaking to DailyMail.com in Atlanta, Georgia, which is both the headquarters of Never Back Down and where the former president received his fourth and final indictment, Cuccinelli said the team of DeSantis faced frequent attacks but also breaking news from Trump. ride a bike.

Sen. Scott (RS.C.) and biotech millionaire Ramaswamy are both in the running to dethrone DeSantis from second place behind Trump.

Cuccinelli then directed Never Back Down PAC to encourage DeSantis to run for president before announcing his candidacy in May.

While he claims Democrats think they’ve “fallen on the sweet side of their far-fetched left-wing radical views” with their accusations against Trump, he said the continued focus on the ex-president is “not good for America”.

“(DeSantis) takes all incoming attacks, you know,” Cuccinelli said. “But it tells me who everyone sees as the threat. And he’s got stamina and he’s resilient. He has a great work ethic. He has more fun on the track, which builds stamina.

When asked if Scott or Vivek could outperform DeSantis, Cuccinelli wasn’t convinced they posed a threat to the campaign.

“I don’t think that’s necessarily where the threat is coming from,” he told DailyMail.com. “It’s personality and who’s going to do what.”

Cuccinelli said Scott is so “nice” he doesn’t even attack Democrats and that Ramaswamy is a hypocrite who preaches not to attack other GOP candidates but then goes on to attack DeSantis

Cuccinelli, a former Homeland Security aide to Trump, said Trump continues to “take oxygen out of the room” with his ongoing legal troubles. It comes after Trump received his fourth indictment on Monday, which has 41 charges and names 18 others in the conspiracy to overturn the results of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.

“Vivek likes to come on TV and say, ‘You know, we all have to not attack each other after we’ve been attacking DeSantis for five days in a row,'” he said.

‘It’s just one after the other. And it’s getting very old and I’ll be honest, part of the reason it’s getting old is because you don’t hold it accountable at all,’ he added, saying the media needed to point out the hypocrisy .

Scott, on the other hand, doesn’t attack political opponents enough, Cuccinelli said.

“I’ve never seen Tim Scott attack anyone, including Democrats,” he said. And you have to be a pugilist to win. He’s a super nice guy.

Scott and Cuccinelli both spoke at conservative radio host Erick Erickson’s conference in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday. Ramaswamy will also speak at The Gathering on Saturday.