Former President Trump quickly took a swipe Monday at Ron DeSantis, his main potential rival for the GOP presidential nomination, after the Florida governor weighed in on a potential Trump indictment in New York.
“Ron DeSanctimonious will probably find out about FALSE ACCUSATIONS & FAKE STORIES sometime in the future, as he gets older, wiser, and better known,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that linked to a story making claims against DeSantis.
“I’m sure he will want to fight these misfits just like I do,” Trump wrote.
DeSantis has previously hit back at Trump’s attacks on Truth Social, arguing that “I don’t spend my time trying to smear other Republicans.”
The Florida governor on Monday offered his first public comments about the possible Trump indictment connected to an alleged hush-money payment made on behalf of the former president ahead of the 2016 election.
DeSantis criticized Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as a “Soros-funded prosecutor” and alleged that he was “pursuing a political agenda.”
But he also drew a spotlight on the allegations against Trump.
“I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair. I just — I can’t speak to that,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis and other contenders for the GOP presidential nomination have to walk a tough line on Trump, seeking to win over his supporters without angering them.
DeSantis had stayed mum on the possible indictment until he was asked about it by a reporter on Monday.
Trump claimed in a post on his Truth Social platform over the weekend that he would be arrested on Tuesday following a probe that the Manhattan district attorney’s office is conducting into a hush-money payment made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
The Florida governor also made clear he would not be getting involved in the probe or any possible extradition of Trump from Florida, saying, “We are not involved in this, won’t be involved in this. I have no interest in getting involved in some type of manufactured circus by some Soros DA.”
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., also hit back at DeSantis’s comments, saying in a post on Twitter, “so DeSantis thinks that Dems weaponizing the law to indict President Trump is a ‘manufactured circus’ & isn’t a ‘real issue.’”
“Pure weakness. Now we know why he was silent all weekend. He’s totally owned by Karl Rove, Paul Ryan & his billionaire donors. 100% Controlled Opposition,” he added.
The comments come as DeSantis is widely believed to be gearing up for a 2024 White House bid, and the Florida governor is viewed as Trump’s fiercest competitor.
The Hill has reached out to DeSantis’s campaign for comment.