Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has a new round of visits to GOP primary states for a book tour and other engagements as 2024 campaign speculation builds.

Fresh off his trips to Iowa and Nevada earlier this month, DeSantis will visit South Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Ohio over the coming weeks, CBS reported. As he crisscrosses the country, DeSantis is hustling to eke out victories from the Florida legislature and slowly wade into dicey national matters.

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In public, DeSantis has swatted away questions about his presidential aspirations, but in private, he has conveyed to allies plans to jump into the GOP arena. Despite maintaining that his trips to Iowa and other key states were intended to sell books, DeSantis has rolled out promotional videos reminiscent of presidential campaigns after some of his trips.

"THANK YOU, IOWA! Together, Iowa and Florida are leading the way for a freer and safer nation. ... And we're just getting started," DeSantis tweeted with a video recap after his trip to Iowa, where he met with Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA).

Last month, DeSantis's book, The Courage to Be Free: Florida's Blueprint for America's Revival, hit bookshelves. The book lays out a blueprint for the country and touts his work in Florida as a model for the nation.

His likely chief rival, former President Donald Trump, has climbed in recent polls while his support has slid. Over recent weeks, Trump has blasted DeSantis, who, in turn, has largely sought to dodge the onslaught.

Recently, however, DeSantis shifted gears slightly and sharpened his response to Trump, throwing shade at the former president's alleged affair with a porn star and belittling Trump's nickname disparagement gambit.

"I don't know how to spell the sanctimonious one," DeSantis told Piers Morgan in a previewed interview. "Call me whatever you want, just as long as you also call me a winner because that's what we've been able to do in Florida."

Trump maintains strong popularity with the Republican base and endorsed DeSantis during the 2018 GOP gubernatorial contest.

"I don't think it's a full 'gloves off' moment," a source close to DeSantis told CBS about the governor's recent comments to Morgan. "But it's showing regardless of whether DeSantis runs for president or not, he's his own man. He's appreciative of what Trump has done for the country and what he did for him in the first election, but he's not going to bend his knee to him."

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DeSantis is running in second place in the 2024 GOP primary should he enter the race, per the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate.

"We have supermajorities in the legislature. I think people look at Florida and then say, 'Man, this governor's gotten a lot done.' We have, and we're proud of it, but you ain't seen nothing yet. This is going to be the most productive legislative session we have had across the board," DeSantis said last month.