Donald Trump continues to attack Ron DeSantis on camera, on stage, and on social media.
But could that all be a smokescreen for eventual cooperation?
The New York Post’s Page Six reports “insiders” are making the case for party unity, and the former President and current 2024 front-runner are listening.
“Some of his supporters are suggesting he make a deal with DeSantis to make him VP, and he’s listening, but hasn’t agreed,” asserts a “Trumpworld” source to the Rupert Murdoch paper.
“Supporters say the VP offer (would) stop DeSantis from opposing (Trump) and offer a ‘youthful conservative vigor’ to the slot, which (Joe) Biden doesn’t have,” the report adds.
“DeSantis would also bring in big money to the campaign,” the source contends, but “so far there’s no deal yet.”
In March, Trump shot down the idea but suggested he was being pitched all the same.
“No, I never thought of it. I think that there are a lot of great people in the Republican Party. I never thought of it.”
“Some people, every once in a while, mentioned it,” he continued. “But that’s about it. Now, I think that would be a very unlikely alliance.”
DeSantis also shot down the idea, saying he was “more of an executive guy.”
More recently, in a Newsmax interview Monday night, Trump dismissed the idea of DeSantis being a good candidate, even in the future.
“Look right now, I’m very down on him. I’m a believer in loyalty and I’m a believer in other things and he has obviously not run a very good campaign because he’s getting crushed. So, I really don’t know,” Trump said.
“I’m very disappointed in him because I’m a loyal person, maybe to a fault. I’m a loyal person and somebody gets you into office and then you’re telling people, ‘Well, I don’t know if I’ll run against the President,’ I mean, life shouldn’t have to work that way. But it does.”
Perhaps the feud is a head fake for an eventual ticket after all.
There is precedent: A bitter 1980 GOP Primary between Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush ended with Reagan taking the former head of the CIA as a running mate.
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