Donald Trump's campaign team released a video of the former president assailing Ron DeSantis minutes into the Florida governor's appearance on national television.
The MAGA leader mocked DeSantis in the clip, which lasted slightly longer than one minute, referring to his former ally as a "loser."
"Ron has always been a loser," Trump said. "In fact, he was going to lose the election in record numbers until I endorsed him."
DeSantis, Trump's top rival for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, appeared on Fox News during a segment at 8 p.m. Wednesday. As the governor was being interviewed by Fox News host Kayleigh McEnany, a video of Trump taunting him was shared on Twitter by the Trump War Room campaign account.
"RON HAS ALWAYS BEEN A LOSER," the 2024 presidential campaign account posted above the clip on Twitter at 8:15 p.m., just 15 minutes after DeSantis was scheduled to appear on Fox News.
RON HAS ALWAYS BEEN A LOSER! pic.twitter.com/35c0Oy2K8W
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) June 22, 2023
Newsweek has reached out via email to the DeSantis and Trump teams for comment.
In the video, Trump takes a jab at DeSantis' flatlining poll numbers, saying they have been "absolutely crashing." He once again mocked DeSantis' glitch-ridden campaign announcement on Twitter Spaces, which Trump called "the worst presidential launch in history" in the clip.
Trump used his frequent monikers for the governor, calling him "Ron DeSanctus" and "DeSanctimonious" in the clip. The former president explained the meaning behind the nicknames during a Fox News interview with host Bret Baier that aired on Tuesday night. During his explanation, Trump took credit for DeSantis' 2018 Florida gubernatorial election victory, saying to Baier that he used the terms because the governor is "disloyal" by choosing to run against him.
Trump, who continues to be the GOP front-runner despite facing 37 federal criminal charges, hinted that DeSantis should have decided against running against him "just out of respect." While DeSantis usually avoids retaliating against the former president's attacks and insults, he has clapped back several times. Last month, the governor took a swipe at Trump, saying that during his time as president, Trump added trillions to the national debt.
A recent CNN poll, conducted June 13-17 and released on Tuesday, shows that while Trump still leads the crowded GOP field by a wide margin, his support took a dip amid his legal woes.
The survey found that 47 percent of Republicans and "Republican-leaning" voters would pick Trump as their first choice for the party's nomination for president, down from 53 percent in a May poll. Support for DeSantis held steady at 26 percent, with former Vice President Mike Pence at 9 percent, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley at 5 percent, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott at 4 percent and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at 3 percent.
