Hostility Unveiled: Instances Where Trump and DeSantis Have Collided
The two Republicans have a contentious history characterized by disputes over policies, exchanging personal insults, and attempting to undermine each other.
TroibNews 
A year ago, the idea that Donald Trump would even consider appointing Ron DeSantis to a position in a potential second administration seemed far-fetched. Their relationship soured after DeSantis decided to challenge Trump for the presidency. Since then, the two Republicans have engaged in public disputes over policy differences, exchanged personal barbs, and worked to undermine one another’s campaigns.
However, their rivalry may call for a ceasefire if Trump chooses to nominate DeSantis as secretary of Defense, contingent on the withdrawal of his current nominee, Pete Hegseth. Though no official decision is yet on the table, the possibility of reconciliation exists, especially considering that the two found common ground over the summer.
Here’s a retrospective on their prolonged feud, marked by verbal exchanges and pointed campaign maneuvers.
**Trump taunts DeSantis:**
The president-elect has occasionally targeted DeSantis with superficial jabs. These include nicknames such as “Ron DeSanctimonious” and “sad little man,” alongside claims about his eating habits and footwear, which DeSantis has denied.
When DeSantis launched his presidential campaign in May 2023 with a problematic Twitter Spaces event alongside Elon Musk, Trump remarked on social media that DeSantis “desperately needs a personality transplant.”
Later that month, Trump posted on Truth Social, criticizing DeSantis for insisting on people calling him “DeeeSantis” rather than “DaSantis.” Trump expressed a preference for the latter, humorously suggesting that DeSantis shouldn't mind the nickname “DeSanctimonious” either.
In response, during a radio interview while campaigning in New Hampshire, DeSantis described Trump’s name-calling as “juvenile” and cited it as “one of the reasons he’s not in the White House now.”
**Trump slams DeSantis for disloyalty:**
Beyond mere name-calling, Trump’s resentment toward DeSantis revolved around issues of loyalty, a trait Trump values highly in his associates. After DeSantis secured reelection in Florida in 2022, Trump accused him of playing coy by delaying his announcement regarding a 2024 presidential run just days before Trump was set to announce his own candidacy. He called DeSantis “average” in a Truth Social post and boasted about being the reason behind DeSantis’ gubernatorial victory.
“He says, ‘I’m only focused on the Governor’s race, I’m not looking into the future.’ Well, in terms of loyalty and class, that’s really not the right answer,” Trump wrote.
Six months later, Trump reiterated his views, calling DeSantis “very disloyal” for challenging him in an interview with The Messenger in May 2023. Trump recounted his endorsement of DeSantis in 2018, stating, “He was a dead man walking before I endorsed him. I revived him...If that happened to me, I would never run against the guy that did that.”
**A floundering campaign:**
Trump contrasted himself sharply with DeSantis during the campaign, noting the latter’s struggle with the media when DeSantis lost his cool during a press interaction. In April 2023, while DeSantis was in Washington, several Republican legislators from Florida endorsed Trump over their home-state governor.
Susie Wiles, who was Trump’s chief of staff and senior adviser, used her familiarity with DeSantis from when she led his 2018 gubernatorial campaign to her advantage. After DeSantis exited the race in January and subsequently endorsed Trump, Wiles posted a since-deleted message on social media that read: “Bye, bye.”
**DeSantis hit back on Covid-19:**
Trump criticized DeSantis’ management of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2023, suggesting the governor was “trying to rewrite history” and claiming he “promoted the vaccine as much as anyone.”
In a campaign video, Trump even claimed “even [New York Gov. Andrew] Cuomo” performed better than DeSantis during the pandemic, which prompted DeSantis to respond on "Good Morning New Hampshire with Jack Heath," emphasizing, “people fled Cuomo’s lockdowns to come to Florida by the tens of thousands.”
DeSantis later released a video mashup accusing Trump of not regretting lockdowns while he himself opposed them.
**…And abortion:**
DeSantis has also taken aim at Trump’s position on abortion. During a January town hall on CNN, when asked if Trump is pro-life, DeSantis replied, “Of course not.”
Trump has a mixed record on the subject, often taking credit for the reversal of Roe v. Wade while simultaneously promising he would veto any federal abortion ban. In contrast, DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban into law in Florida, which Trump described as “too short.”
The Florida Supreme Court upheld a different 15-week ban signed by DeSantis and set the stage for a vote by Floridians on a constitutional amendment to potentially overturn the ban, which ultimately failed. This outcome provided DeSantis a policy win while putting Trump in a position to discuss abortion as a resident of Florida.
**DeSantis flaunts relative youth:**
In addition to policy critiques, DeSantis has criticized Trump personally. In a 2023 interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” he pointed out Trump’s age, asserting that at 45, he is in the “prime of my life.”
“I just think that that’s something that has been shown with Joe Biden. Father Time is undefeated. Donald Trump is not exempt from any of that,” DeSantis remarked.
Age is a critical factor in the 2024 presidential election, with Trump’s campaign frequently making comments about Biden’s age and mental clarity. DeSantis’ campaign has also leveraged this theme, creating an “accident tracker” to monitor “how long the former president can go without a workplace accident on the campaign trail.”
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
However, their rivalry may call for a ceasefire if Trump chooses to nominate DeSantis as secretary of Defense, contingent on the withdrawal of his current nominee, Pete Hegseth. Though no official decision is yet on the table, the possibility of reconciliation exists, especially considering that the two found common ground over the summer.
Here’s a retrospective on their prolonged feud, marked by verbal exchanges and pointed campaign maneuvers.
**Trump taunts DeSantis:**
The president-elect has occasionally targeted DeSantis with superficial jabs. These include nicknames such as “Ron DeSanctimonious” and “sad little man,” alongside claims about his eating habits and footwear, which DeSantis has denied.
When DeSantis launched his presidential campaign in May 2023 with a problematic Twitter Spaces event alongside Elon Musk, Trump remarked on social media that DeSantis “desperately needs a personality transplant.”
Later that month, Trump posted on Truth Social, criticizing DeSantis for insisting on people calling him “DeeeSantis” rather than “DaSantis.” Trump expressed a preference for the latter, humorously suggesting that DeSantis shouldn't mind the nickname “DeSanctimonious” either.
In response, during a radio interview while campaigning in New Hampshire, DeSantis described Trump’s name-calling as “juvenile” and cited it as “one of the reasons he’s not in the White House now.”
**Trump slams DeSantis for disloyalty:**
Beyond mere name-calling, Trump’s resentment toward DeSantis revolved around issues of loyalty, a trait Trump values highly in his associates. After DeSantis secured reelection in Florida in 2022, Trump accused him of playing coy by delaying his announcement regarding a 2024 presidential run just days before Trump was set to announce his own candidacy. He called DeSantis “average” in a Truth Social post and boasted about being the reason behind DeSantis’ gubernatorial victory.
“He says, ‘I’m only focused on the Governor’s race, I’m not looking into the future.’ Well, in terms of loyalty and class, that’s really not the right answer,” Trump wrote.
Six months later, Trump reiterated his views, calling DeSantis “very disloyal” for challenging him in an interview with The Messenger in May 2023. Trump recounted his endorsement of DeSantis in 2018, stating, “He was a dead man walking before I endorsed him. I revived him...If that happened to me, I would never run against the guy that did that.”
**A floundering campaign:**
Trump contrasted himself sharply with DeSantis during the campaign, noting the latter’s struggle with the media when DeSantis lost his cool during a press interaction. In April 2023, while DeSantis was in Washington, several Republican legislators from Florida endorsed Trump over their home-state governor.
Susie Wiles, who was Trump’s chief of staff and senior adviser, used her familiarity with DeSantis from when she led his 2018 gubernatorial campaign to her advantage. After DeSantis exited the race in January and subsequently endorsed Trump, Wiles posted a since-deleted message on social media that read: “Bye, bye.”
**DeSantis hit back on Covid-19:**
Trump criticized DeSantis’ management of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2023, suggesting the governor was “trying to rewrite history” and claiming he “promoted the vaccine as much as anyone.”
In a campaign video, Trump even claimed “even [New York Gov. Andrew] Cuomo” performed better than DeSantis during the pandemic, which prompted DeSantis to respond on "Good Morning New Hampshire with Jack Heath," emphasizing, “people fled Cuomo’s lockdowns to come to Florida by the tens of thousands.”
DeSantis later released a video mashup accusing Trump of not regretting lockdowns while he himself opposed them.
**…And abortion:**
DeSantis has also taken aim at Trump’s position on abortion. During a January town hall on CNN, when asked if Trump is pro-life, DeSantis replied, “Of course not.”
Trump has a mixed record on the subject, often taking credit for the reversal of Roe v. Wade while simultaneously promising he would veto any federal abortion ban. In contrast, DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban into law in Florida, which Trump described as “too short.”
The Florida Supreme Court upheld a different 15-week ban signed by DeSantis and set the stage for a vote by Floridians on a constitutional amendment to potentially overturn the ban, which ultimately failed. This outcome provided DeSantis a policy win while putting Trump in a position to discuss abortion as a resident of Florida.
**DeSantis flaunts relative youth:**
In addition to policy critiques, DeSantis has criticized Trump personally. In a 2023 interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” he pointed out Trump’s age, asserting that at 45, he is in the “prime of my life.”
“I just think that that’s something that has been shown with Joe Biden. Father Time is undefeated. Donald Trump is not exempt from any of that,” DeSantis remarked.
Age is a critical factor in the 2024 presidential election, with Trump’s campaign frequently making comments about Biden’s age and mental clarity. DeSantis’ campaign has also leveraged this theme, creating an “accident tracker” to monitor “how long the former president can go without a workplace accident on the campaign trail.”
Mathilde Moreau for TROIB News
