At a campaign rally on Saturday, previous President Donald Trump insulted Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, calling him “Ron DeSanctimonious.”
Trump made the remark during a speech in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, when reading from a survey conducted soon after the FBI raid at Mar-a-Lago in Aug.
Trump declared, “Trump is at 71, Ron DeSanctimonious is at 10%. Oh, Mike Pence is at 7, Mike seems to be doing better than I expected.”
Although he has not declared his intention to run, DeSantis is widely regarded as Trump’s major rival for the Republican nomination for president in 2024. Polls suggest that the less educated Republicans like Trump, while college-educated Republicans prefer DeSantis.
While the two have previously been strong buddies, Trump has recently distanced himself from DeSantis by refusing to campaign for him in his gubernatorial reelection run this year or invite him to his Florida rallies.
The former president has a history of nicknaming opponents. “Crooked Hillary,” “Low Energy Jeb,” “Lyin’ Ted,” “Little Marco,” and “Sleepy Joe” are among examples.
Many conservative media figures were outraged by Trump’s attack on DeSantis. Conservative podcaster Matt Walsh, a former Trump skeptic, stated that Trump will not “take this one down” by inventing a “stupid moniker.”
“DeSantis is an exceptionally effective conservative governor who already achieved significant policy and cultural victories,” Walsh added. “Also, wonderful work unleashing your public attack on the nation’s most popular conservative governor three days prior to the actual midterm elections, when everyone is supposed to be putting on a united front.”
