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Former Republican President Donald Trump lashed out at Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis for hinting he might launch a bid for the White House in 2024.
DeSantis—a GOP favorite to run in 2024—was one of the few Republicans to easily win re-election following the midterm election results earlier this week.
Trump, in a statement released through his Save America PAC, unloaded on DeSantis, calling him an “average” governor with “great public relations.”
\u201cNEW: Trump goes postal on DeSantis \ud83d\udc47\u201d— Curtis Houck (@Curtis Houck) 1668121314
He added:
“Ron came to me in desperate shape in 2017 — he was politically dead, losing in a landslide."
“Ron had low approval, bad polls, and no money, but he said that if I would Endorse him, he could win. … When I Endorsed him, it was as though, to use a bad term, a nuclear weapon went off.”
Trump claimed to have "fixed" DeSantis' campaign, which she recalled as having "fallen apart" at the time and made the unfounded and baseless claim that he'd stopped DeSantis' election from being "stolen" when he "sent in the FBI and U.S. Attorneys" to end what he described as "ballot theft."
He went on to accuse DeSantis of "playing games" after DeSantis told news reporters that he is "only focused on the Governor's race" and not considering a run in 2024 at this time. Trump said that "in terms of loyalty and class" DeSantis had not given "the right answer."
Trump closed out his statement to his supporters by insisting that he is currently "in the same position" as he was in 2016, when, he said, many prominent Republicans and conservative networks like Fox News underestimated him until he "easily knocked them out, one by one."
He concluded:
"We're in exactly the same position now. They will keep coming after us, MAGA, but ultimately, we will win."
"Put America First and, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Trump's attack on DeSantis comes after reports indicated that dissension is growing within the ranks of the Republican Party, whose members have urged senior leadership to break from Trump following the GOP's disappointing midterm election performance.
In many ways, this year's midterm elections were seen as a referendum on how much sway Trump and his rhetoric still have over the American electorate.
The lack of a "red wave" indicates that many voters have repudiated his lies and blatant attempts to subvert the democratic process.
As many pointed out, Trump's attack demonstrates his insecurities and concerns about his future within the Republican Party.
\u201cThe \u201caverage Republican governor\u201d referred to in the 45th president\u2019s statement has an approval rating of 64% and just won several deep-Democratic counties on Tuesday. If this is a preview of his 2024 primary strategy, it will turn off far more voters than it will bring in.\u201d— Joe Concha (@Joe Concha) 1668126659
\u201cIt's amazing how despite getting 2/3rds of the GOP Ensemble to hate him, the one that is currently sabotaging Trump the most is Still Trump\u201d— Italian\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\udde6 (@Italian\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddfb\ud83c\udde6) 1668126316
\u201cIntentional or not, DeSantis has stoked Trump from minor annoyance to frothing rage all without speaking a single word against him.\u201d— Anders Hagstrom (@Anders Hagstrom) 1668124998
\u201cSo petty for someone who cost Republicans the House in \u201818, White House in \u201820, Senate in \u201821, and probably the Senate in \u201822 (again). \n\nMeanwhile @RonDeSantisFL is winning and doing his job.\u201d— Rep. Peter Meijer (@Rep. Peter Meijer) 1668125550
\u201cTrump chucking his toys out of the pram over @GovRonDeSantis is most amusing, as is DeSantis totally ignoring him.\u201d— Piers Morgan (@Piers Morgan) 1668153805
\u201cI'm not convinced that "Vote for Me: It Will Salve My Wounded Ego" is a compelling campaign theme.\u201d— Jesse Walker (@Jesse Walker) 1668124206
\u201cTrump is done. This is the dumbest thing possible he could do.\u201d— Caleb Hull (@Caleb Hull) 1668123719
\u201cLoser attacks winner.\u201d— Charles C. W. Cooke (@Charles C. W. Cooke) 1668124719
\u201cThis is glorious. Let Trump keep blowing himself up.\u201d— John R. Eakin (@John R. Eakin) 1668124723
Trump's statement marks the second time this month he's lashed out at DeSantis—and courted the ire of conservatives.
During a rally last week, Trump, who had been making the rounds in crucial swing states ahead of the midterm elections, referred to DeSantis as "Ron DeSanctimonious" while touting poll numbers—a source for which he did not provide—that place him 60 points ahead of DeSantis should the men decide to run against one another for the Republican presidential nomination.
Trump's words prompted several prominent conservatives to criticize him, accusing him of sowing division among the ranks of the Republican Party. Others openly praised DeSantis as "a far more effective leader of the Right than Trump was."