The animosity between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Trump is quickly heating up. For a while, the two Republicans were staunch allies; however, that all changed as DeSantis’ stock in the political world increased.
More specifically, Trump began attacking DeSantis when the latter became more popular and more looked at as a possible candidate in the 2024 presidential election.
DeSantis has not explicitly stated he will not run, which infuriates Trump. One of the former president’s latest attacks against the governor involves sharing a photo via social media of the latter when he was working as a high school teacher in 2001.
In this photo, a younger DeSantis is seen smiling with young women. Trump, in doing this, appeared to accuse DeSantis of being a groomer who targeted high school students.
Earlier this week, the Florida governor responded to this latest attack, as reported by Politico.
DeSantis Dismisses Trump
During an Ocala press conference, DeSantis found himself being asked about Trump’s Truth Social reshare that pertained to him.
Though the Florida governor noted that as an elected officeholder, he spends his time delivering for the people of his state and fighting back against Biden. DeSantis also noted, without mentioning Trump’s name, that he doesn’t use his time going after other Republicans.
Trump posted a photo of Ron DeSantis drinking alcohol with young girls, accusing him of being a pedophile.
Here’s Donald Trump BRAGGING how he likes to “inspect” young girls “with no clothes” in the dressing rooms of beauty pageants.
Every Trump accusation is a projection. pic.twitter.com/KI8uLmgIwr
— Republicans against Trumpism (@RpsAgainstTrump) February 8, 2023
The same cannot be said about Trump, however. Amid the former president’s unhappiness about facing likely challenges in his quest to obtain the 2024 GOP nomination, he’s gone after several Republicans.
In addition to attacking DeSantis, Trump targeted Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin in late 2022, making fun of the GOP governor’s last name. Trump has also gone after former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, alleging that she’s “overly ambitious.”
The Likelihood of a DeSantis 2024 Presidential Run
Recent reports have indicated that the Florida governor is leaning towards a run for the White House in the upcoming election season. It’s possible that Trump could be aware of this, hence his increased attacks against DeSantis.
In other instances when he’s faced attacks from the former president, DeSantis has also noted that he has thick skin and won his reelection campaign. The latter is not something that Trump can say, seeing as he was defeated by Biden in the 2020 presidential race.
BREAKING: DeSantis responds to Trump ReTruth accusing him of being a "groomer"
"I'd just say this. I spend my time delivering results for the people of Florida and fighting against Joe Biden […] I don't spend my time trying to smear other Republicans." pic.twitter.com/Ddj9Mb1MYj
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) February 8, 2023
If the Florida governor decides to run for president, a formal announcement of this is likely going to arrive around May. In the meantime, however, Americans can count on the former president going after DeSantis as he continues to see the governor as a threat.
Do you believe Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will announce he’s running for president later this year? Do you think DeSantis could end up defeating Trump in the 2024 Republican primary election? We’d like to get your insight on this in the comments section.
This article appeared in The Conservative Brief and has been published here with permission.
