Trump Shares His Shocking “Regret” About Ron DeSantis

DAVENPORT, IOWA — Former President Donald Trump escalated his ongoing political assault on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday, taking his rhetorical attacks to a new level.

“Remember this, if it weren’t for me, Ron DeSanctimonious would right now be working probably at a law firm or maybe a Pizza Hut I don’t know,” Trump told reporters on Monday.

Trump has incentive to go after the governor in Iowa, after a new poll showed his support had declined more than 20 points since June 2021.

Famous for his derogatory nicknames, Trump suggested he may change DeSantis’ from “Ron DeSanctimonious” to “Tiny D.” The former president added that “Meatball Ron” is “too crude” for his taste.

“He was dead as a dog, he was a dead politician. He would have been working perhaps for a law firm or doing something else,” Trump said about DeSantis' prospects before earning Trump’s endorsement in 2018.

When asked if he regretted the endorsement, Trump reportedly said: “Uh, yeah, maybe, probably yeah… I like people that are loyal. This guy was dead. He was dead as a doornail. Yeah, I might. I might say that. I always got along great with him when he was governor. I did a lot of good things for Florida.”

Speaking at a rally in Iowa on Monday evening just days after DeSantis visited the state, Trump blasted him for “strongly opposing” ethanol and warned the audience “he’s going to do that again.” He also called DeSantis a disciple of “RINO loser” Paul Ryan and compared the governor to Mitt Romney.

For the better part of the past year, Trump has taken numerous shots at DeSantis, who poses the most formidable challenge to Trump’s 2024 presidential run. Trump has repeatedly belittled DeSantis national popularity, calling him “an average Republican governor with great public relations.”