Trump warns DeSantis off 2024 White House run: ‘Could hurt himself very badly’

Former President Donald Trump, gearing up for another White House run, warned Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that he “could hurt himself very badly” with the Republican base if he also launched a presidential bid in 2024. 

Trump, who dubbed the Florida governor “Ron DeSanctimonious” during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, denied that the two Republican politicians are at odds, but still tried to lay down a marker for 2024. 

“I don’t know if he is running. I think if he runs, he could hurt himself very badly. I really believe he could hurt himself badly,” Trump told Fox News Digital in a Monday interview published on Tuesday. “I think he would be making a mistake, I think the base would not like it — I don’t think it would be good for the party.”

“Any of that stuff is not good — you have other people that possibly will run, I guess. I don’t know if he runs. If he runs, he runs,” the 45th president added.

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Trump then threatened to expose some dirt on his fellow Republican.

“I would tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering — I know more about him than anybody — other than, perhaps, his wife,” Trump said without elaborating.

The interview was recorded after Trump headlined an Ohio rally for Republican Senate candidate JD Vance, at which the former president teased a “big announcement” he will make next Tuesday in Florida.​

“I’m going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at Mar-a-Lago, Florida,” Trump ​teased ​​his supporters on the eve of Tuesday’s midterm elections.​ ​“We want nothing to detract from the importance of tomorrow​.​” 

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Leading up to the Ohio event — at which a number of Trump family members were present — some insiders speculated that he would use the rally to declare his intent to mount another presidential bid. 

Before Trump took the stage, Alina Habba, one of his lawyers, warned DeSantis to stick to the Sunshine State.

“He needs to stay in Florida. Just stay where you are. You are doing a great job in Florida,” Habba said in an interview on Right Side Broadcasting, which aired the rally.

The attorney added DeSantis wouldn’t have his current brand-name recognition without Trump’s influence.

“DeSantis is DeSantis because of Trump. I think I like what DeSantis is doing in Florida, but he needs to stay in Florida,” Habba said.

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Despite Trump’s feelings about his potential rival, the former president claimed he pulled the lever for DeSantis’ reelection when he voted in Palm Beach on Tuesday alongside former first lady Melania Trump. 

“Yes, I did,” he told reporters. 

Trump also took the opportunity to promote his upcoming announcement. “I think Tuesday will be a very exciting day for a lot of people and I look forward to seeing you at Mar-a-Lago,” he said.

In the interview with Fox, Trump downplayed any conflict between him and DeSantis.

“There’s not a tiff with me, and I’m way up in the polls. No, there’s not,” Trump said, later calling the governor a “fine guy.”

DeSantis, who is expected to cruise to victory Tuesday over his Democratic challenger former Gov. Charlie Crist, has cemented his national profile since his first election in 2018 by countering the Biden administration’s COVID-19 pandemic regulations and energizing the GOP base with his stands against critical race theory and gender issues. 

He also got involved in a highly public dispute with the Walt Disney Co. over his signing of the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law in Florida’s schools.