A.G. Gancarski
Former President Donald Trump continued his one-sided war with Ron DeSantis Friday evening on Truth Social.
Captioning a picture including DeSantis, Rep. Matt Gaetz, and other Republican politicians, the President asked a seemingly rhetorical question about the grinning DeSantis: “Who is that in the blue tie being so nice to the President of the United States while in the Oval Office?”
The Friday night flashback offers the latest reminder of Trump’s belief that the “disloyal” DeSantis curried his favor to get an endorsement and electoral help in 2018’s campaigns against Adam Putnam and Andrew Gillum, leveraging the relationship to the Governor’s Mansion.
The seemingly gentle ribbing in that post offers a contrast to sharper attacks on the same platform in recent days, other posts from Trump on Truth Social that included the amplification of allegations that the Governor was “grooming high school girls with alcohol” during his short-lived, pre-politics stint as a college preparatory academy teacher.
Trump had taken nearly a week off from attacks on DeSantis, with the last barrage being at the beginning of February, when he took to his Truth Social account to whack DeSantis as a “globalist” and a “RINO” (Republican in name only).
Prior to that, Trump posted a video of then-Congressman DeSantis citing former House Speaker Paul Ryan as a model, continuing a stream of invective on the so-called “globalist” Governor.
DeSantis has struggled to respond in kind, taking the high road, an approach praised by supporters in the conservative online intelligentsia.
“So here’s what I’d say about all of that. I get that you guys want the controversy,” DeSantis said during a press conference earlier this week. “I’d also just say this. I spend my time delivering results for the people of Florida and fighting against Joe Biden. That’s how I spend my time. I don’t spend my time trying to smear other Republicans.”
What’s clear is that despite DeSantis’ attempts to deflect, the former President continues to deliver receipts from when the then-Congressman sought his blessing.
“There were tears coming down from his eyes,” Trump recently told Hugh Hewitt, recounting yet again DeSantis’ emotional appeal for support.
8 comments
Ian
February 11, 2023 at 12:36 pm
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did not want guns at his Election Night party in Tampa—but he couldn’t have his constituents knowing that. According to a series of emails obtained by The Washington Post, DeSantis tried to convince the Tampa Convention Center to claim that it was their policy to prohibit firearms, despite the fact that Florida state law allows concealed carry inside public facilities unless a client specifically requests otherwise. “DeSantis/his campaign will not tell their attendees they are not permitted to carry because of the political optics,” Chase Finch, the convention center’s head of security, wrote in an email to other city officials conveying the governor’s request. DeSantis’ appeal was quickly denied, though he ended up having metal detectors at the event. Tim Marden, chairman of the Alachua County GOP, told the Washington Post that he skipped a fundraiser for Santos in October over the decision to have metal detectors. “It was a little hypocritical to have this measure in place for law-abiding citizens at a time when a lot of folks in the gun community will condemn a Democratic politician for having a security force,” he said.
Cheryl Kelly
February 11, 2023 at 1:43 pm
Asking for a few friends – why on earth do people need to carry guns to such an event? Why do people need to carry guns at all? We aren’t the Wild West anymore. Just wondering.
Ocean Joe
February 11, 2023 at 5:51 pm
We ARE the wild west again.
People get shot to death because their music is too loud.
A pregnant woman and her unborn child were shot to death after exchanging gunfire with a motorcyclist.
A Tallahassee high level govt worker pulled a gun on a Prius driver and is now no more.
Your governor and his puppet legislature want to eliminate the need for concealed weapons permits and the training and background checks they entail so everybody can pack.
Ian’s point is the hypocrisy. No guns at the governor’s ball, but plenty in the grocery store.
cassandra
February 12, 2023 at 5:12 pm
Well, Cheryl, here’s a pretty good reason that you must not have thought of:
A pro-gun lawyer died in Sao Paulo: “Despite warnings from staff to remove jewelry and metal objects in the MRI room, Mr Mathias kept his weapon on his waistband…. The powerful magnets of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine did the rest, pulling the concealed gun from his waistband and causing it to discharge. It took two weeks for him to die, ironically in the same hospital. —-Crooks & Liars, Telegraph
Charlotte Greenbarg
February 12, 2023 at 7:57 am
Far left 🦜🦜🦜🦜🦜squawk obediently
Mother Superior Slapshot, Bishop Hedman Academy
February 12, 2023 at 1:20 pm
My goodness, Charlotte Greenbarg, once again you fail to offer coherent commentary in response to the column above and instead offer childish criticism of other commentators. Now, if it turns out that you are indeed a child, then hooray for you for doing your best here. But if you are over, say, 17 years old, you should be able to offer some thoughts about Mister A.G. Gancarski’s column (see above), although it would help if you actually read the piece first. That’s the way it works here, bless your heart.
cassandra
February 12, 2023 at 11:08 am
When asked for a statement on his inappropriate behavior at Darlington School: “DeSantis…struggled to respond…”
LOL. That’s because there are student victims, witnesses, and at least one photo! Student interviews were conducted by NYT. The story here should not be about Trump. It should be about why the MSM is downplaying the reports. Media should be demanding DeSantis explain leaving the school after one school year. They should be asking whether Ron’s teaching experience could be behind his “grooming” obsession.
___New York Times
Jim Cline
February 14, 2023 at 11:26 am
“And so Florida, I think really shows the blueprint of what you can do to not only win, but really fundamentally change the overall political terrain in a very strong pro-freedom direction,” said DeSantis after his reelection.
So what is freedom? As Jean Jacque Rousseau says, ““Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”
As Republicans tighten their grip on Florida, we need to remember that autocratic rulers select the chains by which to control us. They are beginning with the children, denying them information on their history and sexuality.
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