"This is not what Florida wants or needs!" President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Trump slams Florida primary winner Gillum as 'failed socialist mayor'

Florida does not need a "failed socialist mayor" as its next governor, President Donald Trump wrote online Wednesday, slamming the surprise winner of the state's Democratic primary.

Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum secured an upset victory in the swing state primary on Tuesday and will face off against GOP Rep. Ron DeSantis, who was endorsed by Trump, in November. Gillum, a Bernie Sanders-backed progressive, supports sanctuary cities, "Medicare-for-all" and raising the minimum wage.


"Not only did Congressman Ron DeSantis easily win the Republican Primary, but his opponent in November is his biggest dream....a failed Socialist Mayor named Andrew Gillum who has allowed crime & many other problems to flourish in his city. This is not what Florida wants or needs!" Trump wrote on Twitter.

In an appearance Wednesday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," the Tallahassee mayor said he was able to win over voters by talking about issues like health care and employment, rather than bashing Trump.

"We got to talk to Floridians. And, largely, Floridians who have chosen not to participate in this political process because they don't believe in it anymore. Talking about Donald Trump and reminding folks of how bad he is and how unqualified he is for the job that he holds doesn't do anything to ensure that they're able to make ends meet," Gillum said.

Trump won Florida by a little over 1 percentage point in the 2016 election. Already, the state's gubernatorial contest, between a Trump-endorsed Republican and a Sanders-backed Democrat, has been painted by some as a bellwether for the 2020 presidential election. White House adviser Kellyanne Conway said during an appearance on "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday that the choice between DeSantis and Gillum "cannot be more stark."

"I can't think of a candidate in this country who has leaned in more to the presidential endorsement than Ron Desantis," Conway said. "He will be a reliable supporter of the Trump agenda."