President Donald Trump plans to turn Ron DeSantis into a ‘political eunuch’

Matthias J. Ochner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service/Getty Images

After a year of being thoroughly humiliated by Donald Trump and unable to unseat him as Republican leader, Ron DeSantis finally dropped out of the race and supported Trump’s efforts to take back the White House. But while the former president has publicly rescinded his nickname of “unsainted,” Mr. Trump has privately signaled over the past two weeks that he has no intention of relinquishing his grudge against the Florida governor and former ally. I’ve made it clear.

Mr. DeSantis, a former president and 2024 Republican front-runner, said in a conversation with aides that DeSantis He reportedly continued to ridicule the governor and said that he did not have the qualifications of the party. future. “President Trump recently told his fellow Republicans that DeSantis should not be the Republican presidential nominee in 2028. One reason for that is that, in Trump’s view, the governor is Because he has proven that he is someone who can easily win.

One source who recently spoke with the former president on the topic said Trump’s attitude toward DeSantis’ future is that he wants to change him into a “political eunuch” who will never lead the party, let alone become president. He frankly characterizes it as thinking. During the past few months, rolling stone It was previously reported that President Trump privately claimed that if DeSantis really wanted to get a pardon, the Florida governor would have to “kiss his ass.” a lot”

So far, it seems like proper ass kissing hasn’t started yet.

The ongoing atmosphere of ill will and mutual resentment between the two emphasizes that the former (and likely future) president will receive the utmost loyalty from allies and conservative figures. I’m emphasizing it. Also, President Trump’s penchant for denigrating and punishing Republicans who opposed him, and his determination for revenge, as he plans to return to the White House if he defeats President Joe Biden in the November election. It also highlights the cult of personality.

Late last month, following the suspension of DeSantis’ 2024 campaign, the former president said he didn’t want to hear from DeSantis unless the governor came with a “really big” or “really great” apology. I told those close to me. According to a person with direct knowledge of President Trump’s thoughts.

Whether the governor and the former president have spoken since announcing their support in late January, and how much DeSantis will campaign for Trump once he formally wins the nomination, as widely expected. It is unknown whether People close to Mr. Trump said they were not aware of any warm contact or close relationship between the two in the weeks since Mr. DeSantis left office.When Trump Asked by Fox News It’s unclear whether he spoke to Mr. DeSantis after he finished campaigning, but the former president said, “Somebody wanted to call me, but I couldn’t.”

A spokesperson for DeSantis did not respond to a request for comment on the matter Wednesday. Asked about the details of the report, President Trump’s spokesperson Stephen Chan issued the following statement: rolling stone: “We are focused on officially winning the primary and then defeating Crooked Joe Biden, because America cannot afford another four years of his failed leadership.”

Even though DeSantis withdrew from the race and endorsed Trump, he couldn’t resist taking jabs at his former rival. Florida’s governor called Trump a “better” choice than Joe Biden in a speech announcing his suspension of presidential campaigning, but called former President Anthony Fauci’s “elevation” He pointed out the differences in opinion with the former president. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases became a hated figure among anti-vaxxers and coronavirus deniers during the Trump era.

At least publicly, President Trump appeared to ignore it when asked about DeSantis’ jab on Fox News. “Look, it’s very difficult for him. He’s going to go out, but he doesn’t feel great when he goes out,” President Trump said in a video posted to his own Truth Social account. mentioned in.

The day after leaving the race, Florida’s governor publicly used his threatened to invoke the dunk on suggestion. DeSantis, who has been released from campaigning, has appeared on conservative media outlets and has been more veiled in his criticism of Trump over the pandemic, including claiming that Trump has an “enthusiasm problem” among Republican voters. He is saying harsh words.

That last comment particularly perplexed some of Trump’s senior aides, who said they couldn’t understand what Mr. DeSantis thought he had to gain by continuing to attack Mr. Trump.

Trump, for his part, was angry that DeSantis started making these kinds of comments after his endorsement, telling advisers that the governor was bitter about losing. The former president had previously called DeSantis “merciful” in a mild attempt to publicly declare a cease-fire with DeSantis’ support.

But it wasn’t destined to last, even because there was so much animosity between Team Trump and DeSantis Land.

Since the results of the 2022 midterm elections, when many in Republican elites saw Mr. DeSantis in the lead and Mr. Trump the politically weakest candidate, Mr. Trump and his senior staff have been aggressively targeting governors and their allies. They launched a ferocious, hostile, mud-slinging attack. The intraparty fight was remarkably hateful, even by Trumpland standards. This includes the Trump campaign going after DeSantis’ penis size, publicly suggesting he has embarrassing gut-related issues, and routinely accusing him of wearing high heels. It included doing things like

The former president openly wondered if his top Republican opponent might be secretly gay or even a pedophile. And Trump’s press secretary, Chan, who has led much of the team’s message accusations against DeSantis, similarly criticized Trump for various comments about the governor, calling him a “eunuch” that would ruin his career. It included a watered-down attempt, including criticism. (Apparently, the word “eunuch” is a word often used in President Trump’s inner sanctum, especially when referring to DeSantis.)

The Trump campaign’s campaign to sink DeSantis’ political future over the past year was not only fueled by the former president’s desire to punish the turncoat. Some of Team Trump’s top officials are staffed by Republicans who previously worked for the Florida governor, some of whom had such bad experiences with him that they were thirsty for revenge. .

“The essence of the conversation among people who used to work for Ron was, ‘Okay, how can we destroy this guy?'” This is by no means a normal level for the person holding it. It’s pure hatred, and it’s much purer than that,” said one source who was on Team DeSantis and is now on Trump’s side. rolling stone Back in April. “Those who traveled with Ron every day and worked very closely with him over the years still joke that it was always an open question whether Ron knew their names. I say…and that’s just the beginning.”

Harsh feelings toward DeSantis extend far beyond Trump’s campaign and into his activist base.

“Mr. DeSantis’ fake endorsement was just a disingenuous way to further attack President Trump on his COVID-19 record,” said Laura Loomer, a former Florida congressional candidate. Loomer, a self-described “proud Islamophobe” and prominent MAGA social media personality, had been in contention for a role in President Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, but internal backlash against Trump’s plans led to the idea being scrapped. has disappeared. Still, she has continued to be a strong supporter of Mr. Trump during this campaign, playing an almost constant offensive role against Mr. DeSantis. “He essentially threatened Trump with a line item veto. His team of social media influencers is still active,” Loomer continued.

She believes Mr. DeSantis is still running a “shadow campaign” to undermine efforts to unify the Republican base ahead of the general election.

“Is there really solidarity with someone who is using his position as governor of Florida to attack you on social media and try to intimidate you? Ron DeSantis says he’s dropping out and supporting Trump. It’s hard for people to believe that he really believes that,” Loomer said.