The simmering political war between former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis burst into view Saturday night, when Trump referred to the Florida governor as “Ron De-Sanctimonious.”
Trump’s first public derogatory nickname for DeSantis came just three days before Tuesday’s Florida election in which the governor faces Democrat Charlie Crist. Most polls suggest the governor has a comfortable lead in the race.
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It happened during a rally in Pennsylvania, where Trump was stumping for Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz.
The former president put poll numbers on a screen purporting to show Republican voter preferences for the GOP nomination for president in 2024.
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“There it is, Trump at 71. Ron De-Sanctimonious at 10 percent,” said Trump. “Mike Pence at 7; oh, Mike Pence [is] doing better than I thought.”
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Representatives of the governor could not be immediately reached for comment.
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “sanctimonious” as “hypocritically pious or devout.” The Oxford dictionary says it means “making a show of being morally superior to other people.”
The quip came a day before Trump was scheduled to campaign for Republican Florida Sen. Marco Marco Rubio in Miami. DeSantis was not included in the speaker’s list for that rally.
During the 2016 presidential campaign Trump tagged Rubio with the nickname of “Little Marco” as the two both ran for the GOP nomination. Rubio dropped out of the race after losing to Trump in the Florida GOP primary.
DeSantis had been a staunch ally of Trump, who famously endorsed him with a tweet in his first run for governor in 2017. But apparent presidential ambitions apparently have soured that alliance.
Trump is reportedly on the verge of announcing another run for president as soon as next week. DeSantis has been widely considered to be a GOP candidate for the White House as well.
At a debate with Crist last month, DeSantis did not answer when his challenger asked him if we would promise to serve his full four-year term if he wins on Tuesday. DeSantis also has drawn criticism from fellow Republicans for refusing to say whether he would bow out of a 2024 campaign if Trump jumps in.