Trump Bashes DeSantis as a ‘Globalist’ Jeb Bush Fan Because Why the Hell Not
Donald Trump wants to make America great again, and so on and so forth, but now that he’s started rallying for 2024, the former president seems a little more interested in cutting down Ron DeSantis. He followed up a pair of low–energy rallies packed with well-worn talking points on Saturday by bashing the Florida governor as “disloyal” and, on Monday, labeling him a “globalist” while tying him to Jeb Bush, Trump’s favorite punching bag from the 2016 primary.
“Ron DeSanctimonious, who I made Governor in BOTH the Primary & the General, is also a Globalist, & so are his donors,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after using the G-word to describe the conservative group Club for Growth. “Jeb ‘Low Energy’ Bush was next to him last week. Check PAST!”
It’s unclear what exactly Trump is accusing DeSantis of here or how DeSantis is any more of a globalist than Trump, whose interests have certainly not been contained within America’s borders. Nevertheless!
The dig follows a weekend filled with attacks against the Florida governor. Trump first insisted to reporters on his plane that he was responsible for DeSantis winning his race for governor and that it would be very “disloyal” for him to now challenge Trump for the White House. (Trump added that “it’s not about loyalty” before clarifying that for him it’s “always” about loyalty, but “for other people, it’s not about loyalty.”)
Trump went on to attack DeSantis over Covid measures, noting that “Florida was actually closed for a very long period of time” and that Team DeSantis is now “trying to rewrite history.”
Trump argued something similar in a Truth Social post Sunday night, accusing “DeSanctimonious” of “unapologetically shutting down Florida and its beaches” during the height of Covid.
Trump may have a hard time going toe-to-toe with DeSantis over Covid, as the governor has done more than just about any lawmaker in America to lift restrictions and push misinformation about the disease, while the former president has been booed for trying to reassure right-wingers that the vaccine is safe. Those days may soon be over, though. Trump lawyer Christina Bobb recently indicated to far-right streamer Stew Peters that Trump could be ready to ditch his vaccine stance. “I suspect he will fully support the MAGA base and the way they feel about this,” she said.
Rolling Stone reported earlier this month that Trump might be looking to run to DeSantis’ left, and while one could argue this makes sense strategically, no plan of attack can withstand Trump’s impulses. His post-rally digs against DeSantis and Bobb’s comments to Peters indicate the former president may not be able to help himself from trying out-MAGA his competition.