Trump blasts DeSantis as possibility of 2024 matchup heats up

Former president Donald Trump railed against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a series of rants on social media this week after the popular GOP governor won his reelection bid in Tuesday’s midterms and talk of a matchup between the two for the 2024 presidential nomination heats up.

Trump took to his own social media platform, Truth Social, on Thursday, to blast the popular Sunshine State governor, who is increasingly looking like he will be Trump’s main competition for the 2024 GOP nomination, calling him “average,” and questioning DeSantis’ loyalty.

Calling DeSantis “an average REPUBLICAN Governor with great Public Relations,” Trump detailed how DeSantis relied on him to save his 2018 campaign. 

Earlier this week, Trump bestowed one of his signature nicknames upon DeSantis while speaking to a crowd at a rally in Pennsylvania before the midterms, calling him “Ron DeSanctimonious” and pointing out that DeSantis’ poll numbers for the 2024 bid were much lower than Trump’s own.

“There it is, Trump at 71,” Trump said. “Ron De-Sanctimonious at 10 percent. Mike Pence at 7; oh, Mike Pence [is] doing better than I thought,” said Trump, reading the poll numbers to the crowd.

Trump has not made an official announcement for his 2024 candidacy, but is rumored to be planning on making the bid public in the coming days or weeks. DeSantis has not publicly said he would run in 2024 either, but when asked in a debate with Charlie Crist before the midterms whether he would commit to serving a full term as Florida’s governor, DeSantis did not answer.