Former President Donald Trump took a break from attacking Gov. Ron DeSantis Sunday during a rally in the Governor’s home state, but questions remain about how long this armistice holds.
Less than 24 hours after dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious” during a rally in Pennsylvania, Trump steered clear of expanding criticism during a Miami event. Rather, he endorsed him.
“You’re going to re-elect Ron DeSantis as Governor of your state,” he said, finally endorsing after months of narrative suggesting Trump and DeSantis were at odds.
He did tease running for President again, as he has since beginning his post White House rallies last year.
“I will probably have to do it again, but stay tuned,” Trump said, to Four More Years chants. “Stay tuned tomorrow night in Ohio.”
Trump extolled Marco Rubio, for whom he was rallying Sunday, as a “true conservative warrior who gets the job done,” contrasting Rubio to his opponent, “radical left maniac” Val Demings.
Trump avoided trolling DeSantis, who was not in South Florida for the rally, as he had the evening before.
“We’re winning big, big, big in the Republican Party for the nomination like nobody has ever seen before,” Trump said of a potential 2024 Primary Saturday in Pennsylvania, spotlighting a favorable national poll. “There it is, Trump at 71%, Ron DeSanctimonious at 10%.”
Trump didn’t mention a poll this time, but he did discuss crowd size.
“You know what’s like a poll? When this many people come out. That’s like a poll. It’s better than any poll.”
Trump extolled U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who was on hand, as a “really outstanding man, he did a fantastic job as your Governor,” and lauded the myriad members of Congress who showed up as well, including Matt Gaetz.
“He’s smart, he loves this state, he loves this country,” Trump enthused.
“All of these people I’m announcing have my complete and total endorsement. If they didn’t? I wouldn’t announce them, who the hell cares,” Trump added, after going through a list of state legislators on hand, calling them out by name.
Trump has claimed he made DeSantis, but evidence piled up the dynamic has frayed, even before the “DeSanctimonious” moment Saturday, raising questions as to how enduring the DeSantis endorsement will be past Tuesday.
Among the purported grievances: DeSantis prematurely committed Trump to speak at the Florida GOP Statesman’s Dinner in 2019, he didn’t close beaches in 2020 despite Trump’s wishes, and the Governor skipped a Trump rally while appearing instead with President Joe Biden in Surfside after the Champlain Tower South collapse.
The former President has said DeSantis would not be a challenge.
“If I faced him, I’d beat him like I would beat everyone else,” Trump told Yahoo Finance.
Trump is still the front-runner in most 2024 Republican Primary polls, but DeSantis is a defined second in surveys, with stronger performances in some states, including Florida.
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