Donald Trump has recently come out to express his regret for endorsing Ron DeSantis in 2018 for governor of Florida, calling DeSantis “dead as a doornail”. The then-congressman had been defending Trump from the Democratic-led impeachment effort into allegations that he had pressured Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky to investigate the Biden family.
Trump alleges that DeSantis had pleaded with him for the endorsement when polls showed him trailing his primary challenger, then-Florida agricultural commissioner Adam Putnam.[0] He also criticized DeSantis for caving into the battle of public relations with Disney, claiming that DeSantis only went after them to show off as a “Mr. Tough Guy” and that he and Disney “probably worked together to make him look like a fighter.”[1]
Trump made the comments while en route to Iowa on Monday afternoon. DeSantis is expected to launch his campaign for the 2024 Republican nomination at the end of the state’s legislative session in May.
0. “Trump lashes out at DeSantis, says he regrets his endorsement of him” msnNOW, 13 Mar. 2023, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-lashes-out-at-desantis-says-he-regrets-his-endorsement-of-him/ar-AA18A1eh?li=BBnbcA1
1. “Former President Trump Calls DeSantis’ Disney Feud ‘Hoax'” Inside the Magic, 13 Mar. 2023, https://insidethemagic.net/2023/03/former-president-trump-calls-desantis-disney-feud-hoax-eg1
