Former President Donald Trump launched flames of attacks against Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Truth Social on Tuesday.
The former president — who launched his third presidential campaign in November — perpetuated an accusation that DeSantis attended a drinking party with students at the high school where he taught in Georgia and other attacks related to his political track record. He has thrown repeated attacks against the governor over the wide speculation that the two will challenge each other in the upcoming 2024 Republican presidential primary.
A Truth social user posted a photograph of an alleged younger DeSantis partying with three girls who reportedly attended Darlington School, where the governor previously taught history. The Hill Reporter reported an exclusive story on the photograph and these allegations in October 2021.
Trump also criticized DeSantis for saying he was “glad” to see the Capitol rioters get arrested after January 6, 2021. He then responded to DeSantis, along with 111 other Republicans, voting against HR 6136, known as the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2018, when DeSantis was in Congress.
“What about ANTIFA & BLM, Ron?” Trump wrote.
“Wow, if I knew that I wouldn’t have Endorsed him (and he would have had to quit the race, down 35 points!),” Trump said in another post.
The bill failed to pass the House with 301 representatives voting against it, all Democrats and 112 Republicans voted no with 121 voting in favor. The legislation intended to increase enforcement personnel and construct a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. (RELATED: Trump Bashes DeSantis As ‘RINO Globalist’ After DeSantis Responds To Attacks)
Trump has repeatedly attacked DeSantis in recent months over polls finding the governor topping the former president if the Republican primary were currently held. The former president mockingly nicknamed DeSantis “Ron DeSanctimonious” at a November campaign rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and later credited himself for DeSantis’ rise in popularity.
“Ron came to me in desperate shape in 2017—he was politically dead, losing in a landslide to a very good Agriculture Commissioner, Adam Putnam, who was loaded up with cash and great poll numbers. Ron had low approval, bad polls, and no money, but he said that if I would Endorse him, he could win,” Trump said in a Nov. 10 Truth Social post.
He further attacked the governor for his state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, accusing him of responding “far worse” than any other Republican governor. DeSantis responded that he won “with the highest percentage of the vote” of any other Republican candidate in Florida, alluding that he and his policies still remain widely popular in his state.
“I’m happy to say, you know, in my case, not only did we win reelection, we won with the highest percentage of the vote that any Republican candidate has in the history of the state of Florida,” DeSantis said. “That verdict has been rendered by the people of the state of Florida.”
A new poll found DeSantis leading Trump by nine points, 49% – 40%, though he trails Trump by four points when other candidates enter the ring. Other polls from four key states — New Hampshire, Florida, Georgia and Iowa — show DeSantis up against Trump.