Former President Donald Trump took another swipe Friday at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, his likely top challenger for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, saying he needs a personality transplant.
In a 39-second video posted on his Truth Social account, Trump likened DeSantis' personality to another challenger for the 2024 GOP nod, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. "And that's not good," Trump said.
"The problem with Ron DeSanctimonious is that he needs a personality transplant," Trump said at the beginning of the video, using a frequent nickname for DeSantis. "And those are not yet available.
"Almost all congressmen and women who served with him and knew him well supported me. Some of them surprisingly so because of their relationship with Ron."
Trump has received the backing of 11 of Florida's 20 Republican members of Congress, with only one, Rep. Laurel Lee, endorsing DeSantis. Trump has extensively focused his campaign rhetoric on DeSantis, claiming his endorsement in 2018 was responsible for DeSantis winning a tight gubernatorial race. In the video, he criticized DeSantis' recent trip to Japan, South Korea, Israel, and the United Kingdom.
"Ron's foreign trip was a total bomb," Trump said. "They didn't even know what he was doing there. 'What are you doing here, Ron? Why are you here?' It was a mess."
DeSantis has so far not responded to Trump's swipes, with some speculating he will as soon as he officially announces his campaign, which was expected shortly after the Florida legislative session ended May 5. Trump and DeSantis are scheduled to be in Iowa on Saturday, with Trump in Des Moines and DeSantis in Sioux Center and Cedar Rapids.
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