Former President Donald Trump continued to claim responsibility for Gov. Ron DeSantis's (R-FL) success by saying that he would be working "at a law firm or maybe a Pizza Hut" without him.
Trump made the claims about DeSantis, who he called "Ron DeSanctimonious," while speaking with reporters prior to a rally in Davenport, Iowa, Monday night, according to Politico.
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“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 said.
At his speech later that day, Trump compared DeSantis to former House Speaker Paul Ryan, who he called a "RINO loser," and Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT). The latest attacks on the Florida governor come after weeks of comments from Trump regarding DeSantis as the 2024 presidential campaign heats up.
On Monday, Trump also reiterated his claims that DeSantis "begged" and cried for his endorsement in the 2018 Republican gubernatorial primary. The former president said that he "maybe" regrets his endorsement of DeSantis, who he claims was "dead as a dog" in his primary battle against then-Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.
DeSantis has not responded to most of Trump's claims and comments about him but has been teasing a presidential run by going on a book tour to many key states for the GOP primary, including Iowa. The Florida governor visited Davenport, Iowa, last Friday, only three days before Trump held his rally in the same town.
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Trump and DeSantis are widely seen as the two front-runners for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, with both leading the field by a wide margin in nearly all polls.
The former president announced his run for a second term in November 2022 after losing his reelection bid in 2020 to now-President Joe Biden. DeSantis has not announced a run but is reportedly set to begin a bid for the White House in late May or early June after the state's legislative session has concluded.