Former President Donald Trump is approaching Florida Gov. with a new sense of urgency, in a bid to turn the Republican base against his most formidable potential opponent in 2024.
Trump’s clunky attempt at a nickname is “Ron de Sanctimonious.”
Trump’s continued public bashing on the Truth Social website may brand DeSantis in words that repel GOP voters.
“RINO GLOBALIST,” Trump raged last week, using the derogatory acronym for “Republican in Name Only.” On Tuesday, he posted twice to draw attention to a 2021 blog post from a site called The Hill Reporter that allegedly photographed DeSantis with several young women during his brief time as a high school teacher 20 years ago. Was shown Trump’s posts questioned, without evidence, whether DeSantis was inappropriate with his female students.
NBC News has not confirmed the authenticity of the photo. DeSantis has not commented on this.
Trump, whose endorsement helped DeSantis, a then-underdog, move past a primary and win the governorship in 2018, also branded his one-time aide a traitor.
DeSantis, who has not yet launched a presidential campaign, has not been directly or explicitly involved with Trump. But he has begun to respond to his own insults.
When asked last week about the former president’s attacks on how he handled the pandemic, DeSantis pointed to his own re-election victory, a stark reminder that voters rejected Trump after one term. done.
At Wednesday’s news conference, a reporter began to refer to Trump’s positions in a question to DeSantis, but the governor cut her off, saying, “I think you guys want controversy.”
He then offered another pointed jab against Trump.
“I spend my time delivering results for the people of Florida and fighting against [President] Joe Biden,” DeSantis said. “I don’t spend my time trying to discredit other Republicans.”
Several national polls show Trump – the only declared Republican candidate for the 2024 nomination – leading a hypothetically crowded GOP field, with DeSantis firmly established in second place. But polling released this week by the Club for Growth, a conservative organization that has clashed with Trump, showed DeSantis ahead of Trump in a head-to-head race. A more recent poll in New Hampshire, which is set to hold the first GOP primary, showed DeSantis with a double-digit lead over Trump and others.
DeSantis’ favorability ratings are generally high among GOP respondents, including past Trump voters, in these polls. A Republican strategist close to Trump said the former president’s goal is to quickly defuse DeSantis and neutralize what is identified as a threat.
“People who like Trump didn’t have an unfavorable view of DeSantis because they see him as a Trump supporter,” said the strategist, who requested anonymity because he was reluctant to speak publicly. were not authorized. “So what happens when Trump’s attacks start to fall out of favor for him? Do we really think DeSantis is going to be in a stronger position than it is today? Because it is abundantly clear to me that he has nowhere to go but down.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Trump’s former ambassador to the United Nations, is expected to announce a campaign for the GOP nomination next week. Several others are also considering runs, including Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire. All will compete with DeSantis for the votes of Republicans seeking to move on from Trump.
DeSantis is not expected to make a decision on his candidacy until later this year, after Florida’s legislative session ends. Several operatives of his 2022 re-election campaign remain in his political orbit, potentially poised to deploy for a White House bid or, in the meantime, a supportive super PAC that may give DeSantis some of Trump’s shackles. Answering on their behalf can help absorb that. ,
A spokeswoman for DeSantis declined to comment on Wednesday about Trump or the governor’s immediate political plans.
A GOP consultant with friends on both sides of the bitter rivalry wondered whether DeSantis was off message by stirring up the devoted fan base he has attracted online.
“People are looking for an arc or trajectory to Trump’s provocations,” said the consultant, who requested anonymity. But it’s like a boxer sensing his opponent’s reactions. DeSantis himself has clearly resolved to stay out of the back-and-forth, but how his surrogates react – and overreact – is telling. In the age of social media, a candidate simply can’t control how his or her most vocal supporters respond, so staying completely on message isn’t possible.
For now, though, DeSantis is content to live with his not-so-subtle contradictions.
Alex Conant, a Republican strategist who worked on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign, said, “DeSantis is clearly leaning into [the] narrative that national Republicans have done poorly in recent years, while he did in Florida.” Has won a historic re-election.” “Republicans want to win, and right now DeSantis looks like a winner.”