Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shot down the suggestion that President Donald Trump ever said nasty things about him around the 2024 GOP primary, despite the president launching a barrage of insults and nicknames at his rival.
Speaking to Fox News’ One Nation host Brian Kilmeade, DeSantis was asked how he and Trump are getting along now, as the pair “went at it pretty hard” during the primary season, with Kilmeade noting Trump targeted DeSantis in particular.
“I don’t think that’s true, I think that’s just you guys,” DeSantis said. “I think we get along great.”
Donald Trump’s endorsement in the 2018 Florida gubernatorial election was seen as pivotal for Ron DeSantis’ eventual victory. / Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images
DeSantis seemed to have memory-holed that Trump spent several months lashing out at his one-time top ally amid reports the Florida governor was gearing up to challenge him in the 2024 GOP primary.
Among the long list of nicknames Trump used against DeSantis was the oft-repeated “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He also floated other digs like “Ron Dishonest,” “Tiny D,” and “Shutdown Ron,” a reference to the governor’s closing down of establishments and beaches at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In February 2023, Trump even shared two photos on Truth Social accusing DeSantis of “grooming high school girls with alcohol as a teacher.” The photos referenced claims that DeSantis had partied with students while teaching history in his early 20s at Darlington School, a private pre-K through 12 school in Georgia.
In the same month that Trump amplified the claim insinuating DeSantis drank with underage students, Trump also stated that he would never use the nickname “Meatball Ron” against the Florida governor with Italian heritage amid reports that he was using it to badmouth him privately.
“I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in February 2023. “It would be totally inappropriate to use the word ‘meatball’ as a moniker for Ron!”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the president have largely made up since Donald Trump returned to office. / Andrew Cabello-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
DeSantis eventually entered the 2024 GOP primary but suspended his White House bid after finishing a distant second place in the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucus.
Speaking to Kilmeade, DeSantis, who still endorsed Trump in the 2024 election, insisted his relationship with the president is now fine.
“We’re working very constructively,” DeSantis said. “I think it’s been really, really good. And you know the state of Florida, we’re the envy of the nation. People want to come here. People want their states to follow our lead, and we’ll continue to lead with purpose and conviction.”
