In 2018, when DeSantis ran for governor of Florida, he was endorsed by then-President Donald Trump. An alliance was forged then that has been remained strong until very recently. Now, it seems that both of them want to run as Republican candidates for president in 2024. Only one will remain and it might not be either of them. However, if they have the same goal, that creates a conflict of interest.
That conflict of interest has been subtle over the past several months, such as when the Florida governor refused to pledge his support for Donald Trump should he run for office in 2024. This conflict is now more noticeable.
In fact, at a rally held by the former president in Pennsylvania in support of candidate Mehmet Oz, Donald Trump mocked Ron DeSantis by calling him "Ron DeSanctimonious":
"Ron DeSanctimonious"
pic.twitter.com/MDawuZcBam- Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) November 6, 2022
"DeSanctimonius"
The former president said, "Trump at 71%, Ron DeSanctimonious at 10%." The former president referred to a recent poll that revealed percentages of support for Republican candidates who could run for election in 2024.
The survey was conducted among only 512 adults, a sample half the size of what is usually taken to conduct similar surveys. The interviews were conducted between Sept. 2 and Sept. 5.
2024 National Republican Primary Poll:
Trump 71%
DeSantis 10%
Pence 7%.
Cheney 4%.
Cross 2%
Haley 2%
T. Scott 1%.@premisedata ~ 512 Adults ~ 9/2-9/5https://t.co/Hr8qx2FG4f
- PollTracker (@PollTrackerUSA) September 16, 2022
That percentage is well above other polls. However, most of those polls also show Republicans have Donald Trump as the front-runner.
On the other hand, Donald Trump has a great predicament among Republican voters, as shown by the fact that 92% of the candidates supported by him have prevailed in the Republican primaries.
In another message shared by the former president in Pennsylvania, Trump shared his opinion on the difference between Democrats and Republicans.
TRUMP: "The choice this election is simple: Democrats will defund the police. Republicans will defund the cartels." #SaveAmerica pic.twitter.com/rwD7iLesDz
- Newsmax (@newsmax) November 6, 2022