ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — After taking subtle jabs at Gov. Ron DeSantis and hinting at his own 2024 presidential run, former President Donald Trump has officially drawn a line in the sand between himself and his former ally.
Trump released a long-winded statement undermining the Florida governor's abilities and taking credit for the political success DeSantis has had thus far.
He repeated the "Ron DeSanctimonious" nickname he first used at a Pennsylvania rally last weekend and reduced DeSantis to "an average REPUBLICAN Governor with great Public Relations."
Trump undercut DeSantis' COVID-19 response, saying Florida benefitted from the "advantage of SUNSHINE" rather than the governor's anti-lockdown approach. He also claimed his endorsement is what led to DeSantis' victory in 2017 during his first run for governor.
"Ron came to me in desperate shape in 2017—he was politically dead, losing in a landslide to a very good Agriculture Commissioner, Adam Putnam, who was loaded up with cash and great poll numbers," the statement reads. "...I said, “Let’s give it a shot, Ron.” When I Endorsed him, it was as though, to use a bad term, a nuclear weapon went off."
In the statement, Trump accused DeSantis of "playing games" when it comes to a potential 2024 bid for the White House.
"And now, Ron DeSanctimonious is playing games! The Fake News asks him if he’s going to run if President Trump runs, 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 wrote.
10 Tampa Bay has reached out to the governor's office for comment.
The statement is the first direct attack Trump has launched against DeSantis since the governor has risen in the ranks among a once Trump-dominated Republican party.
Disappointing results for Trump-baked Republican candidates in Tuesday's midterm election may be indicative of Trump's fading influence over the GOP.
On the other hand, DeSantis cruised to reelection victory on Tuesday, winning the gubernatorial race by a significant margin without Trump's endorsement.
Neither Trump nor DeSantis has announced a 2024 presidential run, though Trump is set to make a "big announcement" on Nov. 15. DeSantis in his victory speech on Tuesday said, "I have only begun to fight."
In a straw poll conducted at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, Republicans signaled Trump as their top choice for the White House in 2024 and DeSantis as No. 2.