Donald Trump swipes at Ron DeSantis for ‘acting like a candidate’

Donald Trump continues to take exception to what appears to be a presidential campaign by Ron DeSantis.

The former President told The Messenger’s Marc Caputo that he’s “not a fan of the way he’s running.”

“First of all, he shouldn’t be running right now because he hasn’t filed (official paperwork as a candidate). You understand that. The guy’s doing ads. He’s acting as a candidate, but he doesn’t have to play by the rules because he hasn’t filed, which is a total violation. I mean, this guy’s doing interviews as a candidate, but he hasn’t filed, which is really not appropriate,” Trump said.

Trump’s attempt to litigate a complaint about electioneering against DeSantis has already fallen flat with one in-state authority. The Florida Ethics Commission dismissed a gripe from the Trump-affiliated MAGA, Inc. last month.

The Trump complaint purported to provide “ample evidence that Gov. DeSantis and various political committees have engaged in conduct that violated Florida ethics law.” It contended DeSantis has flouted Florida’s “resign-to-run” law while “skirting federal campaign finance laws,” adding that could present an “impermissible conflict between his public duty and his private interests.”

The Trump complaint also charged DeSantis with having “solicited and accepted a multitude of gifts premised on the understanding that he will run for President.”

Named in the document were various committees presumably supportive of this aim, including Friends of Ron DeSantis, Ready for Ron, Ron to the Rescue, Courageous Conservatives PAC, the Republican State Leadership Committee, And to the Republic, and Run Ron Run!

However, the Ethics Commission shot down the presentation as speculative, as well as rejecting the presumption the Governor had abused his public position by holding events in conjunction with his book, “The Courage to be Free.”

DeSantis continues to tease a potential run, including with a Friday speech in Illinois and Saturday trip to Iowa, the latter especially notable because the former President canceled a rally in Des Moines amid weather concerns stoked by a tornado watch. Ultimately, the weather was tranquil, allowing DeSantis to stop near the rally stop for an impromptu speech at a restaurant.