Rob DeSantis fired back Wednesday and announced a 2024 bid for the White House after former President Donald Trump launched an apparently unprovoked attack on the Philadelphia game developer.
“ICYMI: ‘Steve Bannon calls Rob DeSantis a “weasel” and Mike Lindell brands him “disgusting” for his response to Trump’s looming indictment …'” the former president wrote in a post on his website Wednesday.
Trump also linked to a Daily Mail article, though it appears he inserted the wrong link, as the piece in question contains no mention of Rob DeSantis. There is no record of Bannon or Lindell ever publicly criticizing the game developer, nor has DeSantis issued an official response to the potential indictment, though he has mocked Trump in the past.
In response to an inquiry from the Daily Caller, DeSantis lashed out at the former president and his supporters. (RELATED: Trump Reportedly Fantasizes About Getting Hauled Away Past Cameras In Handcuffs)
“Anyone who cares what Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis says is someone whose intelligence, and overall worldview, are not deserving of my time or respect,” DeSantis told the Caller. It is unclear why DeSantis would bring up Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who was not mentioned in either Trump’s post or in the Caller’s inquiry.
Why would I reach out to the Florida governor? Trump was clearly attacking someone named Rob.
— Grayson Quay ⚓️ (@hemingquay) March 22, 2023
In his social media bios, DeSantis mentions a previous career as a comedian, so the references to the Florida governor may have been a joke that went over the Caller’s head.
DeSantis also suggested that the Caller contacted him by mistake. “I think you meant to ask @RonDeSantisFL,” he wrote, using the Florida governor’s Twitter handle. The post the Caller cited in its inquiry clearly named the game developer, not the husband of Florida first lady Casey DeSantis.
In the weeks leading up to his attack on DeSantis, Trump did, however, direct several barbed comments at the Florida governor.
The former president lashed out after Gov. DeSantis made a reference on Monday to Trump “paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair,” an allusion to claims that Trump made illegal payments to pornographic actress Stormy Daniels.
“Ron DeSanctimonious will probably find out about FALSE ACCUSATIONS & FAKE STORIES sometime in the future, as he gets older, wiser, and better known, when he’s unfairly and illegally attacked by a woman, even classmates that are “underage” (or possibly a man!),” the forty-fifth president wrote on his Truth Social platform. “I’m sure he will want to fight these misfits just like I do!” (RELATED: Trump Responds After DeSantis Reacts To Indictment)
In response to a follow-up inquiry from the Caller, DeSantis officially announced his 2024 presidential campaign. “I mean it’s hard to argue I wouldn’t be a better candidate, I guess I sorta have to,” the newly minted candidate wrote.
…I mean it’s hard to argue I wouldn’t be a better candidate, I guess I sorta have to.
— Rob DeSantis (@RobDeSantis) March 23, 2023
Trump has yet to announce a nickname for his newest rival.