Former President Trump has now reportedly declared that he regrets his endorsement of Ron DeSantis as his attacks against the popular Florida Governor continue to grow more frequent and unhinged.
“He was dead as a dog; he was a dead politician. He would have been working perhaps for a law firm or doing something else,” Trump announced to a group of reporters during an appearance in Iowa.
The former president was asked whether he had any regrets about backing DeSantis, who in 2018 was in the midst of a challenging primary campaign for the Republican nomination for governor of Florida.
“Uh, yeah, maybe, probably yeah. I like people that are loyal. This guy was dead. He was dead as a doornail. Yeah, I might. I might say that. I always got along great with him when he was governor. I did a lot of good things for Florida.” Trump said in response.
Trump has stepped up his assaults on DeSantis, who has established himself as possibly the most serious opponent he may face in a primary election for the presidency in 2024.
While Trump has officially announced his candidacy, DeSantis has only showed hints that he is seriously considering entering the race later this year.
In recent weeks, the former president has been testing out a series of assaults on DeSantis.
He has dubbed him “Ron DeSanctimonious,” and he has accused the governor of being ungrateful for his endorsement in 2018.
The visit to Iowa by Trump comes just a few days after DeSantis made his way to the first caucus state to meet with voters and community leaders.
Another early primary state, Nevada, was one of the places that DeSantis visited during the course of the weekend.
DeSantis has, for the most part, chosen to ignore Trump’s insults, and even when he has reacted, he has avoided naming Trump as the target of his criticism.
A number of prominent conservatives on social media took issue with Trump’s brazen attack on DeSantis:
Look at this jealous little bitch.
By trying to convince them of something they know to be false, he’s showing the contempt he’s got for millions of Americans who either live in Florida or vacationed there while the rest of the country was locked down and miserable. https://t.co/TevsG4FJ2p
— David Reaboi, Late Republic Nonsense (@davereaboi) March 13, 2023
So Trump regrets endorsing DeSantis? Is he saying he'd rather a crackhead had been Governor of Florida these past 4 years?
Trump has lost his damned mind.
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) March 13, 2023
Petty Trump reaches for a new low. He says he REGRETS endorsing DeSantis for Governor and then goes on to call DeSantis "a dog."
Honestly, is this really person you want to be your president? He is so petty and filled with jealousy he calls America's https://t.co/ugH8bOvqXu… https://t.co/r0tSA7hMtR
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) March 13, 2023
If DeSantis can’t be controlled by Trump who made a key endorsement, why do people think @RonDeSantisFL will at all be beholden to the “establishment” and/or donors?
Trump World disproves their own argument by whining about DeSantis not kowtowing to Trump.
— Cryptid Politics 🇺🇸 (@CryptidPolitics) March 13, 2023
