TAMPA, FL - NOVEMBER 08: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gives a victory speech after defeating Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Charlie Crist during his election night watch party at the Tampa Convention Center on November 8, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. DeSantis was the projected winner by a double-digit lead. (Photo by Octavio Jones/Getty Images)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has departed the Republican presidential primary race, but Donald Trump was not going to let him get away without a stab in the back.
DeSantis made a speedy endorsement of Trump upon exiting the race, which the former president said “he was honored by.” But when asked if there was a place for the Florida governor in his cabinet, should he win the election, Trump said it was “highly unlikely… I have a lot of great people, and a lot of great people who have been with me right from the beginning.”
Though the two previously had a seemingly friendly relationship, DeSantis was Trump’s biggest rival during his latest run for the White House. Trump endorsed DeSantis for governor when he made his initial bid in 2018, a move Trump claims turned DeSantis into “a rocket ship.”
Since DeSantis entered the race, however, he has been a frequent victim of Trump’s ire.
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The former president labeled him “Ron DeSanctimonious” and attacked him personally and professionally throughout the primaries. DeSantis has offered minimal criticism in return, dancing around Trump’s inflammatory language and agreeing in principle with most of the former president’s policies, only repeatedly citing his lax approach to Covid-19 as the key differentiator between Trump and himself.
Since DeSantis dropped out of the race Trump seems to have put the rivalry in the past. In an interview with Fox and Friends, Trump nodded in agreement when asked if his feud with DeSantis was “water under the bridge.” During a speech after DeSantis announced his withdrawal, Trump said, “I just want to thank Ron and congratulate him on doing a very good job.”
When asked about the possibility of DeSantis being his potential V.P. or joining his cabinet, Trump reiterated that “he [DeSantis] hasn’t asked for any of those.”
For his part, DeSantis has also firmly stated that he would rather remain as governor for the rest of his term than as Trump’s number two.
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