Donald Trump once infamously declared that “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters,” and few people have ever thought to challenge the statement. Just one month before the 2016 election, audio leaked of the one-time reality TV star bragging about grabbing women “by the p***y,” yet he went on to win. Given the many atrocities the former president has inflicted upon the American people over the past several years — including allegedly inciting the January 6th insurrection that resulted in the deaths of nearly 10 people (not to mention at least 928 arrests) — many people assumed there was simply no line the former The Apprentice host could cross to alienate his followers… until now.
On Saturday, as Insider reports, Trump was in Pennsylvania stumping for fellow Republicans like senatorial candidate/New Jersey Boy Dr. Mehmet Oz when he debuted one of the childish nicknames he often likes to bestow on his enemies and opponents, and in this case that was Florida governor Ron DeSantis — or, in Trumpspeak, “Ron DeSanctimonious,” which: 1. He clearly didn’t come up with on his own, as “sanctimonious” is a five-syllable word and 2. Might not be the insult Trump intended as the “De” in front of his name seems to imply the negative. But we’ll assume that Trump doesn’t put this same sort of deep thinking into his cutesy little monikers.
If it sounded off-the-cuff to anyone in the audience, The New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman has got news for you: He’s been testing it out for weeks, which to many is a sure sign that Trump fully expects to be facing off against DeSantis should he finally announce his intention to run for president again in 2024.
And most likely not a total coincidence but Roger Stone, who’s been most aggressively attacking DeSantis in public, wrote in a Truth Social post several days ago, “@realDonaldTrump’s endorsement MADE Ron DeSanctimonius Governor #ingrate.”
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 6, 2022
If it’s true that Trump has been beta-testing the appellation, one thing he may not have previously encountered — or expected — was the immense backlash he received from it. As The Daily Beast reports, within hours of Trump declaring the Florida Man “DeSanctimonious,” a number of longtime MAGA allies and supporters seemed to have turned on their former leader.
Piers Morgan took a few minutes away from obsessing over Meghan Markle to weigh in, calling it a “bizarre decision for Trump to mock DeSantis right before the mid-terms,” while others made their preference for Trump vs. DeSantis painfully clear.
Bizarre decision for Trump to mock DeSantis right before the mid-terms, but now he’s fired the first shot, will be fascinating to see how @RonDeSantisFL responds. If he wants to lead the party & be president, he can’t let Trump mock him like this. https://t.co/DA2IyX1SRr
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 6, 2022
Calling it now, DeSantis is going to run, and he's going to beat Trump badly
This is just weak https://t.co/fsOM2ouvSN
— Will Chamberlain (@willchamberlain) November 6, 2022
Attacking DeSantis just days before midterms is giving major insecurity.
Trump isn’t and never has been a team player. https://t.co/DXOhc6LYEp
— Danielle Butcher Franz (@DanielleBFranz) November 6, 2022
https://twitter.com/FormerlyCBM/status/1589350224933572608?s=20&t=InWTjuiIsq507kTiVvjPjA
Trump’s attacks on DeSantis are going to have a boomerang effect. Almost all Trump supporters are big fans of the Florida governor and agree with his policies and approach in running Florida. This comes just 3 days before an election and reflects poorly on the former president. https://t.co/hXOWtjpG3Q
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) November 6, 2022
What an idiot. DeSantis is a far more effective leader of the Right than Trump was, if, that is, you expect a leader to get a lot done, rather than just talking about it and owning the libs. https://t.co/HNIFFGx6mT
— Rod Dreher (@roddreher) November 6, 2022
Many were on the fence between Trump vs. DeSantis '24 before tonight but I'm guessing more people fall into the DeSantis camp after this.
It's a good time to remind folks of Trump's bragging about that shitty "vaccine" & falling in line with lockdowns while Florida remained free https://t.co/5TXx805OMt
— Just Keith / YouTube.com/AtTheMicWithKeith (@KeithMalinak) November 6, 2022
This is what annoys me. We should be able to like both Trump & DeSantis. But Trump has to start digging at DeSantis. He hasn’t changed. It’s a turn off. https://t.co/nItrdmLI6r
— Florida Gulf Beach Fan (@PatriotMomUSA1) November 6, 2022
Though a Trump spokesperson did not reply to The Daily Beast’s request for comment on Saturday night, the site previously reported — courtesy of a Trump adviser — that “Trump’s going to end up doing to DeSantis and his wife what he did to Cruz and his wife.”
(Via The Daily Beast)