Criticizing Trump’s decisions 

Kilmeade often harps on Trump’s decisions and how they could affect his image in the upcoming Republican primaries and the general election. 

• On March 28, Kilmeade said it was “ridiculous” that Trump decided “to embrace the January 6 alternative reality that it wasn’t that bad, and having the convicted rioters sing from prison.” 
• On April 4, he criticized Trump’s handling of classified documents: “Now, do I think Donald Trump should have taken one paper from the White House? No. Why would you do it, you know they’re coming after you. Why would you open yourself up for that?” After playing a clip of Trump defending himself by claiming “I have the right to take stuff” in his interview with Sean Hannity, Kilmeade said, “I don’t know. Classified documents, taking them out of the building, I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to do that.” 
• On April 5, Kilmeade said he was “not sure” if Trump would invest more in the military, “and that’s what bothers me.”
• On April 17, he complained that Trump, along with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), called to defund the FBI, calling it a “dumb move.” Later on, he acknowledged that former Vice President Mike Pence is rightfully angry with Trump because he “did nothing to help him out” on January 6 – with Kilmeade asking his audience, “Who wouldn’t be?” 
• After Trump invited white nationalist Nick Fuentes and the rapper Ye to dine at Mar-a-Lago, Kilmeade said, “I think having dinner with a white supremacist, stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Kanye West, dumbest thing ever. Especially have to live under a rock to think that Kanye West is of sane mind. Shouldn’t have done it.” 

• This came up again on April 19, when Kilmeade compared DeSantis’ decision-making to Trump’s. While saying “Ron DeSantis “s extremely tough, extremely smart, extremely successful, and his instincts are real strong, and he’s indefatigable,” Kilmeade said, “I don’t think he’s going to make mistake on, you know, the easy mistakes that Trump makes, or having lunch with a white supremist or Kanye West if he’s antisemitic and a lot of other things. You know, I don’t think he’s going to have those type of issues.”

Defending DeSantis, even against other Republicans 

In contrast, Kilmeade does not criticize DeSantis’ decisions and instead points to them as signs of strength and strong conservatism. He will often bring up DeSantis’ controversies in order to defend him against Trump or other Republicans. 

• In the midst of DeSantis’ clumsy fight with Disney that has now resulted in back-and-forth lawsuits and drawn criticism from other Republicans, Kilmeade defended the governor: “I just think that he’s doing a lot of good for politicians and for the American people who are tired of corporations bullying them.” He cheered on how DeSantis handled himself in a press conference about the situation, and told “those people who are skeptical about Ron DeSantis” to watch it.  
• On April 21, Kilmeade celebrated DeSantis’ trip to Japan, South Korea, and Israel, saying that “he feels like a candidate,” while “everyone’s beating up on him, which means they do fear him.”
• The Fox host has also defended DeSantis’ book bans. “He's not banning books," Kilmeade claimed on May 1, he’s "saying there should be certain limitations for elementary school libraries” and “focusing on the stories that has kids learning.” 
• On April 19, Kilmeade complained that Trump chooses to “make up stuff” about DeSantis in his attacks, such as suggesting the Florida governor eats pudding with his hands and wants to change the retirement age to 70. Kilmeade also defended DeSantis’ stance on Social Security and Medicare, saying, “What he wants to do is make it solvent, like every other Republican used to want to do.” 

Complaining that Trump needlessly attacks DeSantis

While defending DeSantis, Kilmeade regularly complains that Trump attacks him unfairly and calls out his childish behavior.

• On April 24, he plainly said that he is “not comfortable with” the former president’s attacks on DeSantis.
• On March 28, after describing DeSantis as “a successful congressman, he is a Navy veteran who has a law degree from Harvard, he has an undergrad from Yale,” Kilmeade said that “Donald Trump is upset that he’s running against him,” and played audio of Trump claiming DeSantis begged and cried for his endorsement in the 2022 governor’s race. Cutting the clip short, Kilmeade said, “I can't even hear it anymore. I mean, you know he didn’t have tears in his eyes.” Earlier in the show, he said that “pretending they’re not friends is odd,” but “I guess it’s Trump being Trump. There’s no way DeSantis came to him with tears in his eyes.” He urged Trump to “change your message” on DeSantis, because “saying that Ron DeSantis would be making pizza if it wasn’t for him, people are upset by that. I mean, Democrats aren’t, but Republicans are.” 
• Kilmeade has also gotten tired of Trump attacking how DeSantis governs Florida: On April 24, he said that Trump is “misreading his own base” and that “to go after him as a governor, to me, unless you’re a Democrat like Gavin Newsom or Joe Biden, it makes no sense.”
  
  
  
  “He says that the place is a mess, the state’s a mess,” Kilmeade said. “That’s just not the case.” 

For Kilmeade, “attacking Ron DeSantis as the governor of Florida is a nonstarter.” 

• The next day, he referred to the state as “that horrible place, Florida, that Trump suddenly doesn’t like, until him and Ron DeSantis are done sparring, then he’ll love it again.” 
• As Republican primary challengers have emerged, Kilmeade has also brought up Trump’s legal issues as a way for his opponents to attack him. On April 4, he suggested: “You could easily, if you’re Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy, Gov. [Chris] Christie, if you are Nikki Haley, if you’re Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, Tim Scott, and Gov. DeSantis, at one point you get to say, how many indictments do you have? How could that be good for the country to have a president who's under indictment like this? And that'll be a way to score.”  
• On April 17, Kilmeade seemed to try to encourage the governor, saying that “DeSantis has been told by his donors and supporters, ‘If you don’t start hitting back, you’re going to lose before you get in,’ and they’re 100% right.”
• Again pushing for DeSantis to officially enter the presidential race, on May 1, Kilmeade talked though how DeSantis can attack Trump on not building a wall along the southern border, and said, “I don’t think that’s a strong argument, but I think you have to argue it … and I don’t think that Ron DeSantis has a choice.” He then favorably compared DeSantis’ fundraising to Trump’s, saying: “He’s got $110 million raised, Trump raised just 51. So that’s his good news.” 

Kilmeade has expressed his doubts that Trump can win in 2024. On April 10, he acknowledged that Trump has “his hardcore 30%, he’s got his hardcore 80% of the Republican Party, but that will not win you an election. Show me another speed.” 

To win, Kilmeade said, “Trump has got to show some discipline. And I’m not seeing a lot of it.” 

This commentary is not quite mirrored on Fox & Friends, where Kilmeade is a co-host. While he does cheer on DeSantis when he has the chance, his criticism of Trump is far less defiant.