Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis credited former President Donald Trump for helping to "enhance my name recognition" in his upcoming book.
Throughout his book, DeSantis lavished praise on Trump, his potential 2024 primary foe, and contended that the former president helped push the Republican Party in a positive direction, despite their likely impending collision course.
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“I knew that a Trump endorsement would provide me with the exposure to GOP primary voters across the State of Florida, and I was confident that many would see me as a good candidate once they learned about my record," DeSantis wrote in his book previewed by the Guardian.
Back when DeSantis entered the 2018 race for Florida governor, he was a congressman in a somewhat crowded primary. Trump backed him and has since credited himself for DeSantis's subsequent ascension to GOP stardom.
“I had developed a good relationship with the president largely because I supported his initiatives in Congress and opposed the Russia collusion conspiracy theory," DeSantis added.
DeSantis’s book, The Courage to Be Free, slated for publication on Feb. 28, recounts his political rise and features DeSantis's analysis of many of the key political issues affecting the country.
A bevy of Republicans disaffected by Trump over his antics have flocked to DeSantis as a viable alternative to be the Republican standard bearer, but DeSantis commended Trump's impact on the party as a whole.
"Some D.C. commentators have opined that Donald Trump’s nomination represented a hostile takeover of the Republican Party. But this analysis gets it exactly backward," DeSantis said. "Trump supported policies that appealed to the base in a way that GOP leaders in the D.C. swamp had been either incapable of doing or unwilling to do.”
His acclaim for Trump comes as the former president has begun unleashing his wrath on DeSantis in anticipation of stiff 2024 campaign competition from him. DeSantis has routinely polled as the No. 2 Republican should he enter the 2024 fray.
"If you look at the videos, my numbers have shot up in the last few weeks," Trump chided in a recent interview with Just the News, No Noise. "And Ron DeSanctimonious and his numbers have really crashed. Because, you know, they're saying he was against Social Security. He was against Medicare. And little things like that."
In response, DeSantis has largely evaded getting mired in a tit-for-tat with Trump, who is famous for plowing down his political rivals with fiery slash-and-dash style rhetoric.
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The book has largely been viewed as a prelude to his potential 2024 run. DeSantis has indicated that he will make an announcement on his 2024 plans after the Florida legislative session, which starts next month.
This weekend, DeSantis is poised to host donors at an event not far from Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.