Former President Donald Trump wished opponent Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) “good luck” in his presidential bid after Scott launched his 2024 campaign Monday, but his ostensibly warm welcome came with a shot at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—widely considered to be Trump’s top competitor for the Republican candidacy—by saying Scott is “a big step up” from DeSantis in a post on Truth Social.
FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks at his Mar-a-Lago estate Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Palm ... [+]
In the same post Monday morning, Trump said DeSantis—whom he has nicknamed “Ron DeSanctimonious”—is “totally unelectable.”
DeSantis, who has not yet entered the race, polled 42 percentage points behind Trump in the latest Harvard CAPS-Harris poll from May 19; Scott had 1% support in that poll ahead of his announcement.
In welcoming Scott to the Republican primary, Trump said the two worked together on the “highly successful” Opportunity Zones, an initiative from 2017 that allowed governors to select economically-distressed communities “ripe for investment” and tie them to a federal tax incentive “to drive private investment.”
Scott is campaigning with a more optimistic approach than other candidates so far and is highlighting his Christian faith.
Scott has secured the endorsement of Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, and Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), making him the only GOP candidate other than Trump to score endorsements from Republican senators.
This isn’t the first time Trump has seemingly supported one of his opponents. Trump welcomed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley to the pool of Republican candidates after she announced her campaign in February, telling Fox News “the more the merrier” in the race and that he is “glad she’s running.” More recently, on May 5, Trump took to his social platform to say he was pleased with how well businessman Vivek Ramaswamy was doing in the most recent Republican primary poll. “He is tied with Mike Pence, and seems to be on his way to catching Ron DeSanctimonious,” Trump posted, adding: “The thing I like about Vivek is that he only has good things to say about ‘President Trump,’ and all that the Trump Administration has so successfully done.” Some have since speculated that Trump did this to create fear among DeSantis supporters through a false narrative that Ramaswamy was catching up to DeSantis, despite DeSantis having 22% support in that poll and Ramaswamy increasing to just 5% support. Trump has consistently polled higher than every other Republican competitor in recent months, hovering around 50% support in national polls of GOP voters. Save for DeSantis, who has consistently polled around 20%, no Republican candidate—or potential candidate—has hit double digits in polling numbers, CNN reported.
After Scott announced his presidential bid Friday, Twitter CEO Elon Musk—who previously voted for Democratic candidates—tweeted a video of Scott, adding “great statement.” Musk tweeted last November that he would support a DeSantis presidential bid, but the billionaire has yet to back any candidate officially.
DeSantis is expected to announce his 2024 presidential campaign this week.
2024 GOP Presidential Contenders: South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott Announces His Candidacy (Forbes)
The obvious reason Trump is offering praise to Vivek Ramaswamy (Washington Post)
Vivek Ramaswamy wants to be the next Trump: younger and to the right (Axios)
Musk Praises Tim Scott’s Presidential Campaign Message, Prompting Speculation: Who Will He Back? (Forbes)