Former President Donald Trump issued a blistering tirade in opposition to newly reelected Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Thursday, calling the potential presidential nominee an “common” governor with “nice public relations.”
“Ron got here to me in determined form in 2017 — he was politically useless, dropping in a landslide,” Trump stated in a press release. “Ron had low approval, dangerous polls, and no cash, however he stated that if I’d Endorse him, he may win. … After I Endorsed him, it was as if, to make use of a nasty time period, a nuclear weapon went off.”
The previous president unveiled a brand new nickname for DeSantis at a rally earlier this month, calling the governor Ron “DeSanctimonious.”
DeSantis sailed to victory throughout this week’s midterm elections, one of many few Republicans to submit resounding outcomes on Tuesday. Whereas persevering with his fast rise as a nationwide Republican star, he has turned to Trumpian ways, mocking Democrats’ efforts to make inroads in Florida.
”We are going to by no means, ever give up to the woke mob,” DeSantis stated throughout his victory speech this week. “Florida is the place woke goes to die.”
The governor is seen as a probable candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 and completed his marketing campaign this week with $60 million within the financial institution.
Trump’s luster has additional diminished amongst some Republicans. Calls are rising inside the GOP and on conservative media for the occasion to separate with the previous president and transfer on, notably after a number of high-profile, Trump-backed candidates misplaced on Tuesday.
On Thursday, the previous president challenged DeSantis, who hasn’t formally introduced his intention to run in 2024, saying the governor was “enjoying video games” as a substitute of being loyal.
“The Faux Information asks him if he’s going to run if President Trump runs, and he says, ‘I’m solely targeted on the Governor’s race, I’m not trying into the long run,’” Trump stated within the assertion. “Effectively, when it comes to loyalty and sophistication, that’s actually not the fitting reply.”