Former President Donald Trump is reportedly working to crush Governor Ron DeSantis' potential presidential bid before it even begins. Although DeSantis has not formally announced his candidacy, Trump's team is said to be intent on keeping him out of the race.
A Republican Party strategist told The Washington Times, "They want to keep a foot on his throat. They want to freeze DeSantis out of the race."
DeSantis' strong following has unsettled Trump's team, prompting the former president to publicly criticize DeSantis on social media and in an advertisement.
Erin Perrine, spokeswoman for the new DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down, remarked, "Trump is spending millions of dollars on a guy who's not even in the race. What does that tell you? They see that the governor is strong."
This week, Trump took aim at DeSantis' struggle over development rights surrounding Disney World, writing on Truth Social, "DeSanctus is being absolutely destroyed by Disney." The former president then predicted that Disney might halt investments in Florida or even announce a withdrawal or sale of properties due to DeSantis' actions.
In a previous post, Trump, who was once friends with DeSantis, argued that the governor would not be successful in a presidential bid, stating, "Ron DeSantis is a young man who is not doing well against me in the polls. I believe that if he decides to run for President, which will only hurt and somewhat divide the Republican Party, he will lose the cherished and massive MAGA vote and never be able to successfully run for office again."