Florida resident Donald Trump flinched on being told that GOP rising star Ron DeSantis governed him

Donald Trump’s latest campaign for president has been described as a “sad, lonely, thirsty, broken, basically fake bid for re-election.”

In a long profile to New York Magazine reporter Olivia Nuzzi paints a lonely picture of the former president, just six weeks after his 2024 campaign was announced.

Trump, 76, appears to be living almost in seclusion, except that he occasionally appears before adoring guests at Mar a Lago.

Nuzzi noted that he has an obsession with the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, a film about a fading star desperate to retain past glory.

During the interview, Trump, who currently resides in Florida, was asked what he thought of the state’s governor, Ron DeSantis.

Trump was uncomfortable with the phrase “ruled by,” stressing that he didn’t like the idea of ​​being ruled by someone else.

“Well, I live in Florida,” he said, “but you know, when you say ‘ruled by’ him…” Trump seemed to flinch.

Trump shared a story about how DeSantis sought his endorsement during his gubernatorial campaign.

“I’ve always gotten along with him,” Trump said, noting that he had been “losing by a tremendous margin” when he “came up and asked me for my endorsement.”

Yet in his most recent campaign for governor, DeSantis did not visit Trump and still won by a wide margin.

Trump also criticized established politicians within the Republican Party, claiming they had driven the party into the wilderness before its upset victories in the 2016 primary and general elections.

Trump believes that the party did not fully appreciate his contributions and only won because of his popularity. He said he doesn’t think anyone can beat him in a primary and that his announcement for his third presidential campaign was considered a success.

Trump’s announcement to run came just days after the midterm elections in which many of the candidates he endorsed failed to deliver.

Over the course of the midterms, he endorsed more than 330 candidates, held 30 rallies and raised millions of dollars, but it ended up being a night of missed opportunities and disappointment.

The flops included some of its biggest names, including reality TV personality Dr. Mehmet Oz, who was running for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania.

Nuzzi describes Trump officials as him blaming his wife Melania for his decision to endorse Oz.

“He says, ‘She has no political instincts!'” said a former White House official.

One aide summed up Trump’s lackluster performance in his campaign ad and the subsequent lack of enthusiasm in recent weeks as whatever magic he once had just disappeared and not even his family members showed up.

‘It’s not there. In this business, you can have it and have it so hot and it can happen overnight and be gone and you can’t get it back. I think we’re seeing that it’s gone. The magic is gone,” the adviser explained, adding that only his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, wanted him to run.

There is no one around you who wants you to. Forget Jared and Ivanka – Don Jr. doesn’t want you to! The only person who wants him to do it is Lara, Eric’s wife, because she is very ambitious.

“When Seb Gorka and Raheem Kassam and Kash Patel and Devin Nunes are your stars, that’s the D-list. It was the D-list MAGA. When Brick Man, that weirdo Brick Man, is in the VIP seats, we have a problem.

The Brick Man is a man who wears a suit covered in a pattern of bricks, representing the wall on the US-Mexico border. He was seen wandering the ballroom, giving interviews to reporters.

‘If you’re looking for an indication of how bad things are,’ the adviser added, ‘it’s that Brick Man is not only there but he’s in the VIP section. Don Jr. is not there!

During his profile, Nuzzi says that Trump always wanted to be in the movie industry and frequently sees Sunset Boulevard.

The film tells the story of a former silent film star who slowly loses her mind and denies that her fame is fading.

Trump has shown the film to a number of people in the past, including his press secretary Stephanie Grisham and biographer Tim O’Brien.

During a screening with O’Brien, Trump reportedly leaned in and whispered about how incredible a scene in the film in which Norma Desmond vows to go back to her glory days was incredible.

‘Those idiot producers. Those morons! Don’t they have eyes? Have they forgotten what a star is like? I’ll show you I’ll be there again so help me!’ she rants.

Trump seems to clearly identify with the character’s desire to regain fame and success.

Nuzzi also cites a number of theories as to why Donald Trump has decided to run for president once again, despite losing the election in disgrace and causing the Republican Party to lose in the midterms.

One theory is that he craves attention and fears boredom.

“I think I’ve always been relevant. Like, I’ve been relevant from a very young age. I’ve been in the mix, to be honest,” Trump explained.

Another theory is that he is trying to avoid possible arrest by prosecutors, who may be hesitant to bring charges against an active presidential candidate.

Trump denies that this strategy played a role in his decision to run. He also denies that his lawyers suggested this as a game plan.

“That didn’t matter,” Trump said. ‘I did not do anything wrong. I don’t know how they accuse you if you haven’t done anything wrong. I haven’t done anything wrong.

Nuzzi notes that Trump repeated the phrase “I have done nothing wrong” nine times in the space of 30 minutes.

Trump has faced mounting legal pressure recently, with the January 6 committee referring him on criminal charges and the House Ways and Means Committee planning to release his tax returns.

Despite this, Trump maintains that he has “done nothing wrong.”

He also seems keen to point to his positive relationship with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, recalling how DeSantis sought his endorsement during his campaign.

A recent poll shows DeSantis beating Trump in a potential matchup 52 to 38 percent.