Former President Donald Trump issued a blistering tirade towards 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, shedding in a landslide,” Trump mentioned in an announcement. “Ron had low approval, unhealthy polls, and no cash, however he mentioned that if I might Endorse him, he might win. … After I Endorsed him, it was as if, to make use of a foul 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 publish resounding outcomes on Tuesday. Whereas persevering with his speedy rise as a nationwide Republican star, he has turned to Trumpian techniques, mocking Democrats’ efforts to make inroads in Florida.
”We’ll by no means, ever give up to the woke mob,” DeSantis mentioned throughout his victory speech this week. “Florida is the place woke goes to die.”
The governor is seen as a possible 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, significantly 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 wanting into the long run,’” Trump mentioned within the assertion. “Effectively, when it comes to loyalty and sophistication, that’s actually not the proper reply.”