Ron DeSantis prepared to take incoming at the GOP presidential debate

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis recently told Fox News Digital he's "ready to do what we need to" in the first GOP debate to differentiate himself from the rest of the field.

DeSantis will try to establish himself as the top challenger to former President Donald Trump and change the narrative after a series of setbacks the past two months, which triggered weeks of negative stories spotlighting his campaign’s overspending, staff layoffs, change of leadership and other setbacks.

"I know from the military, when you’re over the target, that’s when you’re taking flak. And if you look really in the last six to nine months, I’ve been more attacked than anybody else. Biden, Harris, the media, the left, other Republican candidates," DeSantis said. "And there’s a reason for that, because people know that I’m the biggest threat. So we view it as positive feedback. We’ll be ready to do what we need to do to deliver our message, but we absolutely expect that, and we’ll be ready for it."

Asked whether his debate strategy includes punching back at rivals on the stage, DeSantis told Fox News, "Yes, that means defending ourselves but more importantly showing why we are the leader to get this country turned around."