Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) vowed to “fight” for Americans if he wins the Republican presidential nomination.

During the opening questions of the third Republican presidential debate in Miami, the moderators asked DeSantis why he should be the GOP’s nominee instead of former President Donald Trump. DeSantis responded by pointing out that the United States “is in trouble” and promised voters that he cared for them.

“This country is in trouble,” DeSantis said. “And the elites that have put us here, they don’t care about you. They don’t care that you’re having to grapple with higher grocery prices or higher gas prices. They don’t care that your family’s less secure because of the open border that’s allowed drugs and even terrorists to come into this country.”

“Well, I care,” DeSantis continued. “I’m not going to sit idly by and let this country continue its downward spiral.”

DeSantis added that the U.S. needs “leadership” and fast.

“I’ll take the hits, I’ll take the arrows, I’ll take the slings,” DeSantis said. “Ultimately it’s not about me, it’s about you. I will fight for you. I will make sure to lead this country’s revival and I will win for you and your family.”

The Florida governor continued to point out that things in the U.S. are a lot different now than they were in 2016, adding that “Donald Trump’s a lot different guy than he was in 2016.”

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Trump, who was notably absent from the third GOP presidential debate, has flipped on stances such as abortion. He has slammed Republican candidates for taking a hard stance on abortion, though he has referred to himself as the “most pro-life president ever.”

DeSantis pointed out that Trump should be on the stage and explain “why he should get another chance,” “why he didn’t have Mexico pay for the border wall,” “why he racked up so much debt,” and “why he didn’t drain the swamp.”