Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis said that former President Donald Trump was a "pioneer" in injecting men into women's competitions.

DeSantis made the claim during a Friday interview on "The Megyn Kelly Show."

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DeSantis: Trump Attacked States Trying to Protect Locker Rooms and Bathrooms https://t.co/fpds85XU95 via @BreitbartNews

— Multi-Cultural Spox (@ztormtra) July 29, 2023

The claims

“[H]e had been a pioneer in injecting men into women’s competitions, because he was doing that with beauty pageants way, way back in the day, ten years ago or whatnot. And then he’s also opposed things like protecting locker rooms and bathrooms," DeSantis said.

"When he was running, he said North Carolina shouldn’t have done that when they did it. So, that, I think is not where our voters are on that," he continued.

Gov. @RonDeSantis responds to claims of retaliation against ‘woke’ corporations like Bud Light and Disney.https://t.co/G522YIoaPV

— The Megyn Kelly Show (@MegynKellyShow) July 29, 2023

Other issues

DeSantis also discussed a variety of other issues on Kelly's show, including the recent Bud Light controversy.

“We’re not punishing them – they departed from business practices by indulging in social activism and that has caused a huge problem for their company and their stock price has gone down,” he explained.

“Our pension fund in Florida holds Anheuser Busch In-Bev stock, so it actually hurts teachers, it hurts cops, it hurts firefighters who depend on that pension fund.” He believes InBev “departed from their fiduciary duty.”

A 2024 Reminder: Ron DeSantis Is the Only GOP Candidate Who Can Beat Joe Biden https://t.co/eOy3DCmZxd

— Kay Quirk (@quirk_kay) July 30, 2023

It's about Biden

"While there is a sense that Donald Trump has become a frontrunner in the Republican primaries, there is just as much of a sense that he can’t win a general election—not anymore," Townhall's Dan Becker wrote in a recent op-ed.

"Here's the hard truth: If Trump secures the Republican nomination, Joe Biden will be re-elected. But, if Ron DeSantis becomes the nominee, then the Democrats have little to no chance," he added.

Trump may be ahead in the GOP polls but is unlikely to improve over his 2020 results against Biden. Recent indictments and new younger voters could result in an even bigger win for Biden in a rematch.

DeSantis has a stronger chance at the national level but he will first have to find a way to improve his position over Trump in a battle that is becoming increasingly difficult for the Florida governor.