MIAMI BEACH, FL—After Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters he didn't anticipate campaigning for former President Donald Trump leading up to the 2024 election, the Trump team has fired back, swiping at the Governor's failed presidential bid.
"Ron really shouldn't flatter himself by assuming we'd want him on the campaign trail," Trump's campaign spokesman, Steven Cheung, told NewsNation reporter Libbey Dean. "We're actually trying to win."
Cheung's biting response follows DeSantis' Wednesday morning remarks at a Miami Beach press conference, where he signed a bill creating homeless camps.
"This is not going to be a state that's competitive in November," DeSantis said, answering a question about his plans to campaign for Republican nominee Trump before the November election. He referenced Republicans' overall dominance in Florida local elections with a series of conservative wins.
"I don't anticipate there being much campaign here for the top of the ticket."
DeSantis announced his run for President in May, before quitting the race soon after his record-breaking, 30-point loss to Trump in the Iowa caucus. Though DeSantis announced his support for Trump after dropping out, the bad blood between the two conservative leaders has not gone unnoticed.
From Trump's jabs at DeSantis as "Ron DeSanctimonious" to DeSantis saying Trump will use "identity politics" to select his running mate, the tension between these Florida officials represents the clearly defined segmentations of the Republican Party.
Yesterday was the Republican Presidential Primary, in which Trump took home the vast majority of Floridian votes. However, the election was more of a ceremonious event due to all other Republicans dropping out, and Trump already securing the required number of delegates to win the nomination.
While Republicans showed up to the polls, DeSantis appeared unusually quiet on voting day. Later that day, he was photographed at Harry Potter World in Universal Studios.
