Former President Trump has once again criticized Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is seen as a top potential rival in the 2024 presidential election.
Trump’s comments came after DeSantis took swipes at the former president’s character and leadership style in a recent interview with Piers Morgan.
In a statement on Wednesday, Trump referred to DeSantis as “Ron DeSanctimonious” and called him an “average Governor” compared to himself. He also claimed that Florida has been successful for many years, long before DeSantis became governor.
Trump then went on to attack DeSantis’ record on COVID-19, claiming that he was a proponent of lockdowns and that Florida is among the worst in the country on education and crime statistics.
The tension between the two Republicans has been brewing for months, but reached a fever pitch on Monday when DeSantis addressed a potential indictment of Trump related to hush-money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. DeSantis condemned Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as a “Soros-funded prosecutor” pursuing a political agenda.
So far this week Ron DeSantis:
-said the political persecution of Trump isn’t an issue that matters
-flip flopped again on Ukraine/Russia conflict, said Putin is a “war criminal who needs to be held accountable.”
-sided with Liz Cheney and Mike Pence by saying Trump should’ve…
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) March 23, 2023
DeSantis doubled down on his comments in an interview with Piers Morgan, where he highlighted differences between himself and Trump. DeSantis noted that he does not tolerate “daily drama” in his office and would have fired Dr. Anthony Fauci, who he believes got “too big for his britches” and did a lot of damage during the pandemic.
Despite DeSantis’ criticisms, recent polling suggests that Trump remains the favored candidate among Republican voters. A Monmouth University poll released on Tuesday found that 41% of Republican voters favor Trump, while only 27% favor DeSantis.
This is a significant shift from December when DeSantis had a 13% lead over Trump, and the two were tied in February.
NEVER FORGET: In 2018, Stormy Daniels said she never had an affair with Trump. In fact, she said it was all made up to get money.
Stormy lost her lawsuit against Trump and was ordered to pay him $300k for legal fees, and her creepy porn lawyer was sentenced to 14 years in…
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) March 21, 2023
DeSantis has not yet announced his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, but his recent trips to early voting states and speculation about his potential run suggest that he is seriously considering it.
However, his recent criticism of Trump and differences in approach to leadership may make it challenging to win over Trump’s base of supporters.
The feud between Trump and DeSantis highlights the ongoing struggle within the Republican Party to determine its direction in the post-Trump era. While both men are dedicated to promoting conservative values, their differences in leadership style and approach to governance may make it challenging for the party to unite behind a single candidate in 2024. It remains to be seen how this will all play out, but it is clear that the Republican Party is in the midst of significant change and transition.
Many critics say that DeSantis should stay out of Trump’s way before running his own career.
https://twitter.com/TheClassicalCon/status/1638673064534880256?s=20
Trump's newest attack on DeSantis: "That’s because he’s merely an average REPUBLICAN Governor who has great Public Relations, far better than deserved."
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) March 22, 2023
Let us know what you think!