Former President Donald Trump mockingly congratulated Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on announcing his 2024 run on Wednesday. He and DeSantis are now the two front-runners in the GOP primary race.

"I’d like to personally congratulate 'Rob' DeSanctimonious on finally announcing that he will be entering the race for President of the United States," read Trump's statement on Truth Social.

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"Hopefully he will get the full experience of being attacked by the Marxists, Communists, and Radical Left Lunatics of our Country, without which he will never know the kind of job he is doing. These Lowlifes & Misfits are far worse than the leaders of hostile foreign countries. They must be soundly defeated in order to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" the former president added.

Trump's comment calling the Florida governor "DeSanctimonious" is one of the many nicknames Trump has given DeSantis. The Florida governor is seen by many to be Trump's biggest rival in the 2024 race.

Ahead of Trump's statement congratulating DeSantis, the former president explained why DeSantis will not win the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. Trump pointed to recent polls showing DeSantis behind him and also pointed to DeSantis's struggling campaign in the 2018 gubernatorial Florida election.

"Look, Rob DeSanctimonious came to me asking for help," Trump's statement read. "He was losing badly, by 31 points, to popular Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam," Trump wrote about the governor's first gubernatorial campaign in 2018. "He was getting ready to drop out of the race — Ran a terrible campaign! Ron told me he had one last chance, my Support & Endorsement, which Putnam, and everyone else, wanted also. I gave it to Ron, and the race was over. In one day, he went from losing badly, to winning by a lot. With 3 LARGE TRUMP RALLIES, he WON THE GENERAL ELECTION in an upset. DISLOYAL!!!"

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DeSantis made his announcement at 5:58 p.m. on Wednesday evening, less than an hour after Trump offered his congratulations.

Aside from Trump, DeSantis is competing with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, business entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) for the 2024 GOP nomination for president. President Joe Biden, who won the presidency in 2020, is running for reelection alongside Vice President Kamala Harris.