The Florida governor was denigrated by Mr. Trump as an “average” politician whose support from him led to his triumph.
The Republican Party’s biggest emerging star and a definite contender to Mr. Trump, Mr. DeSantis, 44, swept to reelection in Tuesday’s midterm elections.
The former president forbade him from doing it.
In a lengthy statement, Mr. Trump disparaged Mr. DeSantis as a political novice who had approached him “in terrible shape” during his 2017 campaign for the presidency.
“Ron had low approval, bad polls, and no money, but he said that if I would Endorse [sic] him, he could win,” Mr. Trump continued. “I also fixed his campaign, which had completely fallen apart.”
He continued by claiming that Mr. DeSantis, to whom he had given the derogatory moniker “Ron DeSanctimonious,” was “playing games” by not ruling out running for president in 2024 and threatening to defeat him if he did.
It’s assumed that Mr. Trump will declare his intention to run for office again, with the goal of securing the Republican nomination without competition.
However, a dismal midterm election has left many in the party blaming Mr. Trump because Republicans were unable to win the substantial House of Representatives majority that was anticipated and are still unsure if they have a majority in the Senate.
In 2020, voters overwhelmingly rejected candidates who endorsed Mr. Trump’s unsubstantiated allegations of election fraud, and many of his well-known nominees for government faltered or lost.
Even the former President’s closest associates have urged him to rethink the momentous news he has hinted will be made on November 15.
According to one former Trump aide, David Urban, “Republicans have followed Donald Trump off the side of a cliff.”
Former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters, “I think he needs to put it [his campaign announcement] on pause.”
In contrast, Mr. DeSantis’ victory over Charlie Crist, a Democratic opponent, by 20 points has solidified his position as a rising star.
His victory margin in Miami-Dade county, one of Florida’s biggest and a historically Democratic bastion, was especially notable since it was the largest for a Republican in forty years.
Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, defeated Republican nominee Donald Trump by a margin of 29 % in 2016. Tuesday, Mr. DeSantis received 55% of the vote in that area.
In a study conducted by Ipsos in October, 72% of Republicans who identify as such believed Mr. DeSantis, 76, should have a significant or positive impact on the direction of the party. By contrast, 64% of Republicans who identified as Republicans believed the same about Mr. Trump.
The remarks made by Mr. Trump on Thursday were unanswered by the governor right away.
