I don't know why Donald Trump is attacking Ron DeSantis. DeSantis could be a powerful ally for Trump, but instead, Trump is doubling down on his "Ron DeSanctimonious" shtick. Far from being a "linguistic kill shot" like "Lyin' Ted" or "Sleepy Joe," this newest label is just dumb. It also doesn't look good for Trump to punch down: DeSantis is already far behind in the polls that match him up against Trump in 2024. Trump's latest accusation against DeSantis is that the Florida governor is a "globalist," which is just short of calling DeSantis a RINO (see this article on DeSantis's supposed globalism). Trump is also talking about how he got the Florida governor to where he is now, which is yet another example of typically Trumpian "let me talk more about myself" rhetoric. I can only imagine Trump sees DeSantis as a threat in 2024, so he's overreacting now to get some preemptive hits in.
DeSantis responded obliquely to Trump's attacks without naming Trump, saying that the people of Florida spoke with force and reelected DeSantis in a landslide, which ought to be enough to clear up any doubts about DeSantis's ability to lead. My thinking is that Trump really, really doesn't want the people of Florida to turn against him, and antagonizing DeSantis could very well mean losing Florida in a general election. I can't see Trump's current tactics as anything but stupid.
ADDENDUM: more on Trump's lapses in judgment here.
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