The road to the 2024 United States presidential elections has already witnessed an intriguing fallout between former friends. Former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, both candidates vying for the country's top office, have seen their relationship take a dramatic nosedive. As per Axios, Trump, aged 76, is on a mission to not merely outdo DeSantis, but also to devastate his political trajectory and the careers of anyone showing support for him.
The emerging alignment of several former Trump officials and backers with DeSantis has reportedly added fuel to the fire. On Wednesday, May 31, the ex-president made a few pointed remarks at the 44-year-old Governor on social media.
In one of his posts, Trump mocked DeSantis' supposed insistence on a particular pronunciation of his name, alluding to the Governor's sensitivity over mispronunciations. The ex-president also labeled this as "ELECTION INTERFERENCE!".
DeSantis, not one to let these jabs slide, expressed his disappointment over the escalating feud. He defended his stance, particularly on Trump's assertion that former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo had managed the Covid-19 pandemic better than Florida.
He stated, "Six months ago, [Trump] would have never said that. He used to say how great Florida was — his whole family moved to Florida under my governorship." He referred to such claims as completely detached from reality.
DeSantis, fresh from his presidential campaign launch, proceeded to highlight his accomplishments as Governor and the lack of acknowledgment from Trump. "We won the biggest election landslide that Florida Republicans have ever won," he asserted. "And did he ever say anything like, 'atta boy, good job?' No."
The Governor expressed his dissatisfaction with Trump's criticism of Florida, saying, "So I’m going to defend my state. I’m going to defend the people of my state and I’m going to defend what we’ve been able to do to really put points on the board."
With this bitter rivalry taking center stage, the lead-up to the 2024 Presidential Election promises to be anything but predictable.