DeSantis allies urge him to defend Trump at Republican debate

FILE PHOTO: Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks at the Republican Party of Iowa's Lincoln Day Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, U.S., July 28, 2023. REUTERS/Scott Morgan/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Presidential candidate Ron DeSantis should defend former President Donald Trump at the first Republican primary debate on Wednesday and go on the attack against campaign rival Vivek Ramaswamy, the main outside spending group supporting his candidacy wrote in a series of memos.

The memos, commissioned by pro-DeSantis group Never Back Down, were posted on the website of Axiom Strategies, a major political consultancy, over the last several days. Their existence was first reported by The New York Times.