Former President Donald Trump has responded to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ announcement of his candidacy for the 2024 presidential race by mocking the governor and his campaign’s launch on Twitter. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump called DeSantis’ Twitter event a “disaster” and referred to him as “Rob DeSanctimonious.”
“I’d like to personally congratulate ‘Rob’ DeSanctimonious on finally announcing that he will be entering the race for President of the United States,” Trump wrote. “Hopefully he will get the full experience of being attacked by the Marxists, Communists, and Radical Left Lunatics of our Country, without which he will never know the kind of job he is doing. These Lowlifes & Misfits are far worse than the leaders of hostile foreign countries. They must be soundly defeated in order to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump went on to take a jab at the technical difficulties that occurred during DeSantis’ Twitter event, stating that his own “Red Button” was better and stronger. He even mentioned North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un, whom he claimed would soon become his “friend.”
DeSantis filed with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday afternoon, just hours before formally announcing his presidential campaign alongside billionaire Elon Musk in a live-streamed event on Twitter. DeSantis is seen as one of Trump’s biggest threats from within the GOP, although the governor rarely called out Trump by name in the lead-up to his announcement.
The Republican primary race is expected to be a heated one, with several candidates polling in the single digits, including Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). Trump remains the clear leader in early Republican primary polls, with DeSantis being the only candidate who could potentially rival his shot for a second term in the White House.
