Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis roared to victory in Florida on Tuesday night, with Fox News reporting that he beat Democrat Charlie Crist by a nearly 20-point margin.
Yet rather than celebrate that achievement, former President Donald Trump was quick to point out that he got even more votes two years ago.
Trump says DeSantis “could hurt himself very badly”
Trump made the comment on Wednesday afternoon in a post to Truth Social, the alternative social media platform he founded earlier this year.
Trump declared, “Now that the Election in Florida is over, and everything went quite well, shouldn’t it be said that in 2020, I got 1.1 Million more votes in Florida than Ron D got this year, 5.7 Million to 4.6 Million? Just asking?”
This is not the first time that the former president has targeted DeSantis in recent days, as he also did so on Tuesday during an interview with Fox News.
Despite endorsing DeSantis and denying that there is “a tiff” between them, Trump cautioned the Florida governor against seeking their party’s nomination in 2024.
“I don’t know if he is running. I think if he runs, he could hurt himself very badly. I really believe he could hurt himself badly,” Trump insisted.
“I think he would be making a mistake, I think the base would not like it — I don’t think it would be good for the party,” the former president continued. “Any of that stuff is not good — you have other people that possibly will run, I guess. I don’t know if he runs. If he runs, he runs.”
Trump then added ominously, “I would tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering — I know more about him than anybody — other than, perhaps, his wife.”
DeSantis supporters chant “two more years” during victor’s speech
For his part, DeSantis has refused to talk about what plans he might have for 2024. Polls consistently put him behind Trump among Republican primary voters.
However, some supporters began chanting “two more years” during his victory speech on Tuesday night, suggesting that they want to see a White House run.
“Two more years!”
Following Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) commanding re-election win, the crowd at his victory party hints support for a potential 2024 run. pic.twitter.com/WuPCF5nviW
— The Recount (@therecount) November 9, 2022