Ron DeSantis' team hit back after Donald Trump spread rumors that the Florida governor would be tucking tail and dropping out of the presidential race due to negative poll results.
"Rumors are strong in political circles that Ron DeSanctimonious, whose Presidential run is a [sic] shambles, and whose poll numbers have absolutely crashed, putting him 3rd and 4th in some states, will be dropping out of the Presidential race in order to run, in Florida, against Rick Scott for Senate," Trump wrote via Truth Social on Monday, August 28.
"Now that’s an interesting one, isn’t it?" he concluded.
DeSantis' press secretary, Bryan Griffin, swiftly denied the rumors later that day, accusing the 77-year-old of spreading "fake news."
"Clearly, Donald Trump and his army of consultants are panicked about @RonDeSantis' winning debate performance and the strong momentum that has followed," he posted. "They know this is a two-man race, and we will carry this on to a win in this presidential primary."
"Instead of pushing fake news from New Jersey," Griffin continued, "the Trump campaign should be focused on getting their candidate on the campaign trail in Iowa and on the debate stage before it’s too late."
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This is far from the first time Trump has mocked the 44-year-old's campaign. As OK! previously reported, he's regularly branded the governor with demeaning nicknames such as "Ron DeSanctus" and "Meatball Ron."
"DeSanctimonious Polls are getting worse & worse as the public gets to know him," the embattled ex-prez wrote on Thursday, July 13. "He’s cold as ICE, and only hurting the Republican Party."
Trump also made a jab at DeSantis after the Fox News Republican Primary debate, calling his performance a "bomb."
"Ron DeSanctimonious is always talking about the number of votes he got in Florida," he ranted earlier this month. "He doesn't say that I got a record 1.1 Million more votes than him. He forgot!!!"
