Donald Trump targets rival Ron DeSantis with retort, 'He’s like a wounded falling bird'

Former President Donald Trump taunted his adversary, Ron DeSantis, on Saturday, labeling the Florida governor a "wounded falling bird" during a GOP event in their native state.

Trump, 77, said he was responsible for making DeSantis, 45, popular during his 2018 campaign for governor, claiming the Navy veteran begged for his endorsement.

“I endorsed him and he became a rocket ship in 24 hours. … Now he’s like a wounded falling bird from the sky,” the former president said in a speech at the Florida Republican Party’s Freedom Summit.

Amidst banners proclaiming "Florida is Trump Country," the former President reiterated his enduring conviction that Ron DeSantis' presidential bid is a disloyal act.

ALSO READ| Russian hockey star threatens to blow up plane after being denied Vodka

He pointed to polls that show he is crushing DeSantis, 45, in the 2024 race. Since declaring his candidacy, the governor's poll numbers have consistently lagged, as evidenced by a recent survey that indicates he is "trailing Trump by 27 percentage points" and finds him in a "tie for second place with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley."

Trump has frequently attacked DeSantis, who was once considered Trump’s strongest challenger for the GOP nomination, and given him several insulting nicknames, such as “Ron DeSanctimonious” and “DeSaster.”

“We’re going to win the Florida primary for the third straight time, and we’re going to win the state by a landslide next November,” Trump told a cheering crowd.

The former president also proudly declared that he had managed to “persuade several Florida lawmakers to switch their endorsements from DeSantis in the days before the summit.”

DeSantis, who spoke earlier in the day, took subtle shots at the former president but never mentioned his name.

He pointed fingers at Republicans for having "blown winnable elections" in the past three cycles, and he remarked that the GOP brand is "toxic" beyond Florida, taking a direct swipe at Trump's recent track record leading the party in elections.

He mostly focused on his standard argument, however, that his results in Tallahassee prove his conservative credentials.

“Florida has shown the way forward for the Republican Party,” DeSantis told the crowd, drawing applause for a list of conservative policy victories in the state.

ALSO READ| Bill Maher torches Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris for 'shadow campaigns' against Joe Biden while praising Dean Phillips

“No state has done more to beat the left at the institutional level than we have in the state of Florida.”

Off stage, he downplayed Trump’s latest show of Florida support. “This happens in these things,” he told reporters, surrounded by top legislative leaders, Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez and several sheriffs.

“We’ve had flips the other way in other states. It’s a dynamic thing. Politicians do what they’re going to do.”

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.