(RoyalPatriot.com )- Former President Donald Trump fired warning shots to Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday night, hours before polls were set to open for DeSantis re-election run.
Trump apparently made his comments in anticipation of DeSantis having a huge re-election win in Florida — which he did eventually achieve — and then potentially turning his sights to a presidential run in 2024. If he decides on the latter, it’s likely he will be one of the GOP’s top candidates alongside Trump.
On Monday night, Trump attended a rally in Dayton, Ohio. As he was traveling on his private plane with some reporters, Trump said of DeSantis:
“If he runs, he runs.”
On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal published some much more direct and aggressive comments that Trump said about DeSantis:
“If he did run, I will tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering. I know more about him than anybody other than perhaps his wife, who is really running his campaign.”
Even though Trump hasn’t officially announced his own candidacy for president yet, it’s all but a foregone conclusion that he eventually will. In fact, that time may come pretty soon, as the midterm elections are winding down.
And if he does decide to run, it’s likely that DeSantis — who was once seen as a possible running mate for Trump — could become his biggest rival in the Republican primary.
The New York Times reported this week that Trump wanted to actually announce his candidacy for president at Monday’s rally in Dayton. He was only talked out of doing so by some of his advisers, leaders of the Republican Party and some of his family members, sources said.
At the rally, he told those in attendance that they should circle November 15 on their calendars, as he has a “very big announcement” coming. It’s hard to believe that the announcement would be anything other than him officially throwing his hat into the ring for another run at the White House.
Trump seems very prepared to run for president again, as he’s already throwing daggers and not-so-veiled threats at the people who are even considered to be his potential challengers. For the past two years, he has hurled repeated criticisms at President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but as a Republican candidate for president, he must first get through members of his own party to face off against his Democratic challenger.
While there are plenty of other potential candidates who could try to seek the Republican nomination — including Trump’s former vice president Mike Pence — DeSantis is the one that many believe has the best shot at overtaking Trump and winning the nomination.
It’s not just the polls or the public perception that’s saying that, either. The fact that Trump is paying DeSantis as much attention as he has is a sign that Trump believes the Florida governor would be a real threat to his chances of winning the presidency.
