Donald Trump claims ‘desperate’ Ron DeSantis SOBBED as he begged for his endorsement in 2018

Donald Trump said Ron DeSantis cried when he asked for his endorsement in Florida’s 2018 gubernatorial race — and said the rising GOP star would work at a pizzeria if he didn’t get the ex-president’s support.

The latest attack on DeSantis came during an extended interview in which Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity that he is not responsible for the Truth Social post where he wielded a baseball bat next to an image of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

The former president has ramped up his offensive rhetoric against his opponents — both Democrats and Republicans — in recent days.

Trump said he only knew DeSantis because he was one of several GOP lawmakers who defended him during his impeachment inquiries when he was president.

“So what happened to Ron is this,” Trump told Hannity in an interview that aired Monday night. “He came to see me, he was killed, he was crushed. Adam Putnam, it was over.”

“Ron came to see me with tears in his eyes,” the ex-president continued. “He said, ‘You must be doing me a big favor.’ I said, “What’s the favor?” ‘Would you support me? I fought for you.’

Trump has repeatedly said that DeSantis would not have won his primary race against former Representative Adam Putnam if he had not received his support. Trump also claims that if DeSantis runs for president in 2024, it would be very “disloyal” to him.

The interview comes as the Stormy Daniels hush money case heats up in New York this week.

Earlier in the interview, Trump told Hannity that he is not responsible for his Truth Social post, where he held a baseball bat near an image of DA Bragg after receiving criticism for the post.

A follow-up post also warned of “death and destruction” if he were indicted by the grand jury, which reconvened Monday to hear from an additional witness.

Trump told Hannity in the interview taped Sunday that he didn’t create the image, saying he was merely reposting a “good story” from right-wing outlet The National File, which created the side-by-side image.

Also at the top of the interview, Trump reiterated his denial that he ever had a sexual relationship with Daniels.

“I’ve never had a relationship with her, I’ve never had an affair with her. It’s made up,” Trump said.

He went on to explain that the photo in question of him holding the bat came from an event at the White House celebrating products made in America.

“You have to understand that when the story was put up — we put up a story — we didn’t see any pictures,” Trump said of his team posting the story on his social media platform Truth Social. “We did a story that was very exculpatory, a really good story from the point of view of what we’re talking about.”

“And they put up a picture of me,” he continued. “And do you know where I held the baseball bat? It was at the White House. “Make America, Buy America,” because they did a lot of “American” things, and this was a baseball bat company.”

And then they put a picture of Alvin Bragg next to that picture. I didn’t do that, they did that. I think the people who do the newspaper,’ he concluded.

Trump continued his attack on DA Bragg Thursday amid reports that an indictment would be forthcoming last Tuesday by sharing an article illustrated with a photo of the ex-president holding a baseball bat, looking next to an image of the Democratic DA scared and raises his hand in a defensive position.

In a follow-up post, Trump called Bragg a “degenerate psychopath” for making the chilling threat that there would be “death and destruction” if he were charged with a crime.

Trump’s attorney in the case, Joe Tacopina, distanced himself from his client’s repeated attacks on Bragg, claiming he could not advise the former president on his social media strategy.

“I’m not his social media advisor,” Tacopina said during an interview on the NBC Meet the Press program on Sunday morning, when asked specifically about the baseball bat post.

He added: “I think that was an ill-advised post one of his social media people made and quickly deleted it when he realized the rhetoric and leaflet attached to it.”

While Trump initially said he would be arrested on Tuesday – encouraging his supporters to “protest!” – the grand jury’s proceedings ended this week, so a possible indictment won’t come until Monday at the earliest.

The grand jury in the case reconvened Monday after breaking with cadence last week when Bragg told panelists not to come to the courthouse.

Former National Enquirer chief David Pecker left Manhattan courts Monday afternoon amid reports the grand jury had reconvened to hear from another witness in the hush money case.

The grand jury did not vote Monday on whether to indict the former president after hearing testimony from Pecker — but is expected to convene again on Wednesday, according to reports.

Pecker, who was photographed by DailyMail.com leaning forward in the back of a car leaving the courthouse on Monday, was involved in the 2016 presidential election controversy when he bought exclusive rights to stories that could harm Trump’s campaign .

A source told the DailyMail.com last week that Bragg is “having trouble convincing the jury to swallow the case.” It’s a weak case and has divided the district attorney’s office.”

“What kind of person can sue another person, in this case a former president of the United States, who has received more votes than any sitting president in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination? for a crime, when it is known to all that NO crime has been committed, and it is also known that possible death and destruction in such a false accusation could be catastrophic for our country?’ Trump posted on Truth a little after 1 a.m. Friday.

‘Why & who would do such a thing?’ he asked.

“Just a degenerate psychopath who really (sic) hates the US!” he said, pointing a finger at Bragg.

Trump has used controversial rhetoric all week when he posted on Truth about the case.

On Thursday, he pushed calls for his supporters to be “peaceful” if he is indicted — which would be historic, as no other former president has ever been charged in a criminal investigation after he leaves office.

“EVERYBODY KNOWS I’M 100% INNOCENT, INCLUDING BRAGG, BUT HE CAN’T BE. HE ONLY EXECUTES THE PLANS OF THE RADICAL LEFT CRAZY. OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED AS THEY SAY IT IS PEACEFUL!’

On Friday morning he simply wrote on Truth: “CONTINUED MISCONDUCT!”

On Saturday, Trump encouraged his supporters to “protest!” if he is charged, following calls he made after falsely telling his supporters that the 2020 election had been stolen from him, resulting in the Capitol attack on January 6.

That social media post played a role Thursday in a U.S. district judge’s decision to keep jurors anonymous in a separate Trump-related case, with the defamation suit brought against Trump by rape prosecutor E. Jean Carroll.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said an anonymous jury was appropriate “based on the unprecedented circumstances in which this trial will take place, including the extensive pre-trial publicity and a very high risk that jurors will fear harassment, unwanted invasion of their privacy and retaliation.”

The judge said Trump’s March 18 call for “protest” and to “take back our country” if charged in the separate hush money case was seen by some as incitement to violence by the ex-president.

The ex-president was seen at his West Palm Beach golf club on Thursday, but is expected to travel to Waco, Texas, on Saturday for a campaign rally — his first Texas rally of the 2024 presidential cycle.