According to The Hill, former President Donald Trump just warned Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) that running for the U.S. presidency in 2024 would be "a great act of disloyalty." 

This comes as Trump, this past weekend, kicked off his 2024 run for the U.S. presidency with two major campaign events, one in New Hampshire and one in South Carolina.

These are the first major campaign events that Trump has held since he first announced his 2024 candidacy for the U.S. presidency. But, Trump made it clear over the weekend that he is ready to go.

In New Hampshire, he told the audience, "I’m more angry now and I’m more committed now than I ever was."

Trump on a DeSantis challenge

Trump's comments regarding DeSantis followed his South Carolina speech, when he participated in an interview with the Associate Press.

There, Trump commented on a possible Trump-DeSantis matchup in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.

Trump said:

If he runs, that’s fine. I’m way up in the polls. He’s going to have to do what he wants to do, but he may run. I do think it would be a great act of disloyalty because, you know, I got him in. He had no chance. His political life was over.

Trump, according to the Associated Press, also revealed that he has not spoken with DeSantis in a long time.

The polls

If polling is to be believed, then the 2024 Republican primary is a two-horse race between Trump and DeSantis. These two have consistently topped other Republican presidential contenders by very wide margins.

Before the midterm elections, Trump dominated every 2024 Republican Primary poll, significantly outpacing DeSantis by dozens of percentage points. In many polls, as Trump himself has pointed out, this is still the case.

But, some post-midterm polling has suggested that the Trump-DeSantis 2024 matchup could be much closer. Some of these polls even put DeSantis slightly into the lead.

Looking ahead

Trump, with his comments, is clearly trying to discourage other Republicans, including DeSantis, from seeking the Republican nomination in 2024. This would, of course, make Trump's path to the Republican nomination that much easier.

DeSantis, himself, has not announced whether or not he will seek the presidency. But, he has certainly positioned himself to be able to.

There are many Republicans who appear to be vying for their party's 2024 nomination. This includes former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, among others.