(Mark Pellin, Headline USA) While a growing number of Republican leaders have publicly called for former President Donald Trump to delay what many think will be a launch next week to a 2024 White House bid, the MAGA chief signaled he plans to stay on his own schedule.
Trump on Thursday invited reporters to a “Special Announcement” at his Mar-a-Lago club on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 9 p.m.
At the same time, Trump took several hard swipes at Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who proved to be the GOP’s brightest star of the midterms that saw several high-profile, Trump-backed candidates stumble.
While noting on Truth Social that despite criticism of a red wave flop, a large majority of his endorsed candidates won their races and Republicans still hold the possibility of regaining control of both the House and Senate.
“So sad to see Republicans attack and foolishly tarnish the results of the Midterms,” Trump wrote.
He also launched a flurry of jabs at DeSantis, which drew considerable backlash even from longtime Trump supporters.
Blasting post-midterm media coverage, Trump accused “NewsCorp, which is Fox, the Wall Street Journal, and the no longer great New York Post” of being “all in for Governor Ron DeSanctimonious, an average REPUBLICAN Governor with great Public Relations.”
Trump also accused DeSantis of mishandling Florida’s COVID response, despite the governor receiving high praise for keeping the state open during the pandemic and pushing back against many of the Biden administration’s mask and vaccine mandates.
Trump also claimed that DeSantis was “desperate” in 2017 during his governor’s bid and wrote that DeSantis “had low approval, bad polls, and no money, but he said that if I would Endorse him, he could win.”
In return for the support, Trump wrote, “Ron DeSanctimonious is playing games!”
“The Fake News asks him if he’s going to run if President Trump runs, and he says, ‘I’m only focused on the Governor’s race, I’m not looking into the future,’” Trump wrote.
“Well, in terms of loyalty and class, that’s really not the right answer.”
What many political insiders are calling an “unprovoked attack” on DeSantis might have done more harm to Trump’s 2024 chances than anything that Democrats and leftists have thrown at him.
Winsome Sears, the pro-liberty Republican lieutenant governor of Virginia, said the midterms sent “a very clear message” that “enough is enough.”
“The voters have spoken and they have said that they want a different leader. And a true leader understands when they have become a liability,” Sears told Fox Business.
“A true leader understands that it’s time to step off the stage. It is time to move on.”
Sears, who served as 2020 national co-chair of the pro-Trump Black Americans Making America First, offered high praise for Trump’s presidential accomplishments, but said “I could not support him,” if he made another White House run.
Trump’s blistering comments about DeSantis provoked similar sentiment among other popular conservative commentators and pundits.
“trump crying about desantis right now on truth social makes him look weak af,” tweeted popular podcaster Tim Pool.
“If Trump is dumb enough to attack the guy EVERY Republican in America is currently happy with, this primary is already over,” wrote conservative talkshow host Jesse Kelly.
“He’s gonna lose at least half his support to DeSantis overnight.”
It’s a stupid nickname and a stupid comment and if this is how Trump wants to go he’s going to lose his primary. But he’s a big boy and he can do what he wants. https://t.co/w8unDDizWo
— Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) November 10, 2022
“Yikes,” wrote the Heartland Institute’s Justin T. Haskins. “If this is real, Trump might have just cost himself the primary in 2024.”
