- Trump's campaign says Ron DeSantis has ruined his ability to work in politics
- “He did this to himself,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told DailyMail.com, adding that his behavior during the campaign was “truly disgusting and abhorrent.”
- He said he could be a 'surrogate for Joe Biden since he acts like one of them'
Donald Trump's campaign believes Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has ruined his chances for a future in politics by “tarnishing his name” during the 2024 presidential campaign.
“He did this to himself,” Trump spokesman Steven Cheung told DailyMail.com, referring to DeSantis' demise in the polls and his decision to turn against the ex-president during the campaign.
DeSantis is several dozen points behind Trump for second place in the primaries — with the ex-president leading the rest of the field, typically with about half of voters' support.
So what would DeSantis do if he's not in politics after his gubernatorial term ends in Florida in 2024?
Cheung says there are two options: “Pizza delivery guy or Democrat surrogate for Joe Biden, since he's already acting like one of them.”
Trump helped propel DeSantis to victory in his 2018 gubernatorial election and ultimately gave him national prominence, which was only furthered when Florida became one of the leading states in easing COVID-19 restrictions.
Former President Donald Trump's campaign claims Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ruined his chances for a future in politics or public office because of his “truly disgusting and abhorrent” behavior during the campaign
Trump believes that DeSantis running for president against him is disloyal. An email from the campaign said: “At this rate, DeSanctus' entire name will be tainted as he will never run for political office again.”
But Trump calls it “disloyal” and “treasonous” for DeSantis to run for president this year instead of waiting until he is no longer in the race.
A campaign spokesman for DeSantis dismissed the criticism when reached by DailyMail.com, pointing to the fact that the ex-president has so far repeatedly refused to appear for a debate in the 2024 primaries.
Although the Florida governor was a Trump ally for years, the two have turned on each other in bitter displays during the campaign.
Trump has called his 2024 rival “DeSantimonious” and DeSantis has criticized the ex-president for failing to deliver on his 2016 campaign promises.
DeSantis also claims Trump is wrong to skip the debate over the rest of the Republican field, claiming no one is “entitled” to the Republican presidential nomination.
“The way he behaved during the campaign is truly abhorrent and abhorrent, and voters will never forget it,” Cheung said of the Florida governor.
In a statement Tuesday, Cheung pointed to recent polls showing DeSantis in a “downward spiral” with just five weeks before the Iowa caucuses kick off the Republican primaries on Jan. 15.
“Ron DeSanctimonious must have a real fixation on being embarrassed and disrespected for all the world to see. He must really like it or he'll just go along with it,” Cheung wrote in the emailed statement. “Regardless, his epic flameout will be studied by political scientists for generations and will be a case study in how not to campaign.”
Trump spokesman Steven Cheung (pictured) told DailyMail.com that DeSantis could have a future as a “pizza delivery boy or Democrat surrogate for Joe Biden since he's already acting like one of them.”
Gov. DeSantis (pictured with wife Casey in Iowa on Dec. 9) is a distant second to Trump in nearly every poll in the 2024 Republican primaries
DeSantis took part in a CNN town hall in Des Moines, Iowa, on Tuesday, where he spoke to caucusgoers in the Hawkeye State in an effort to convince them to support him over Trump.
But the latest Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom poll released Monday shows Trump with a 32-point lead over DeSantis, who came in second with 19 percent.
With 51 percent support, Trump has a historic lead in Iowa, so close to the caucuses.
Cheung's disapproving email called Ron a “crying college kid” and said the latest polls in DeSantis' home state of Florida are an “embarrassment.”
“At this rate, DeSanctus' entire name will be tainted because he will never run for political office again,” he wrote.