Trump Declares WAR On DeSantis

Donald Trump increased his criticism on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday, possibly because he sees DeSantis as a potential rival for the Republican nomination for president in 2024.

In a long message that was repeated on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump criticized DeSantis as a mediocre governor who profited from excellent PR.

Additionally, he repeated Ron DeSanctimonious, a new derisive moniker for DeSantis.

In his statement, Trump touted himself as being a key supporter of DeSantis during the 2018 Florida gubernatorial primary, when DeSantis competed against Adam Putnam for the GOP nomination. Trump also included characteristic complaints about his media coverage and repeated unfounded claims of election fraud.

Trump claimed at the time that DeSantis was “politically dead,” claiming that his backing was essential to the victory in the primary.

“And now, Ron DeSanctimonious is playing games! The Fake News asks him if he’s going to run if President Trump runs [in 2024], and he says, ‘I’m only focused on the Governor’s race, I’m not looking into the future.’ Well, in terms of loyalty and class, that’s really not the right answer,” Trump stated.

According to sources with firsthand knowledge of the situation, Trump is leaning toward announcing his intention to run for president a third time, perhaps as soon as the week of November 14. Additionally, the former president has hinted at a candidacy in 2024 at rallies across the nation for a number of months. During a rally in Iowa last week, he declared, “In order to make our country successful, and safe and glorious, I will very, very, very probably do it again. Get ready, that’s all I’m telling you. Very soon. Get ready.”

There will be a major announcement on Tuesday at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, according to a statement made by Trump earlier this week.

Requests for reaction on Trump’s criticism were not met with an answer from DeSantis’s staff.