DeSantis confronted by supporter: 'Why haven't you gone directly after [Trump?]'

Gov. Ron DeSantis was confronted by one of his own supporters Wednesday, demanding to know why he hasn't gone after former President Donald Trump more directly.

At a town hall event in Waukee, Iowa, Wednesday, 75-year-old Christopher Garcia asked DeSantis pointedly why he hasn't «gone directly» after Trump.

«I mean, you're — in my viewpoint, you're going pretty soft on him,» Garcia, a voter, said.

DeSantis pushed back, arguing he's «articulated all the differences time and time again on the campaign trail.»

But his supporter fired back.

Garcia: If Trump had kept his mouth shut for the four years that he was president, he would have won in a landslide. Is that true?

DeSantis: Look, I –

Garcia: Let me finish –

DeSantis: He's been his own worst enemy. There's no question about that.

DeSantis has occasionally sharpened his attacks on Trump. In October he said the former president will energize Democrats who want to beat him in 2024.

After the testy exchange between DeSantis and Garcia, ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott asked the Florida governor about the confrontation, if his strategy is working and whether he needs to draw a sharper contrast with Trump.

«Let's have a debate. Let's get up on the stage. And let's trade visions for the country,» DeSantis said, calling on Trump to show up for the next debate. Trump has skipped all of the primary debates, saying he saw no point given his large polling lead.

«There are clear contrasts, and I think the biggest contrast is, simply, I deliver. I promise and then I deliver. That's what we've done. Anything I'm saying, I'm going to have a plan to get done,» DeSantis added.

DeSantis has spent nearly all his time campaigning in this state — visiting all 99 counties and