(TargetDailyNews.com) – Donald Trump has officially retired the “DeSanctimonious” nickname he gave to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after the latter officially dropped out of the Republican presidential primary. DeSantis announced that he was suspending his campaign and endorsing Trump in a video posted to X (Twitter).
Trump was asked by a reporter in New Hampshire during a campaign stop if he planned to continue to use the nickname for DeSantis. He replied that the name was “officially retired.”
He first deployed the nickname in advance of the 2022 midterm elections. At the time it was considered a rumor that DeSantis would enter the primary race. DeSantis said the jab was “juvenile” and “petty” in previous statements to the press.
DeSantis cited prayers and familial deliberations along with the hard reality that he came in 30 points behind Donald Trump in the Iowa caucus as the reasoning for suspending his campaign. He said he was proud of his campaign and indicated he’d support Trump’s bid for president as he previously indicated he would support the GOP nominee whoever it was.
He also took the time to trash Nikki Haley, suggesting she represented herself and corporate interests which is antithetical to the current Republican party.
DeSantis began with a huge war chest of over $100 million for his campaign. He experienced numerous problems, however, whether it was the technical glitches on X during his campaign’s official announcement or criticism for AI-generated images of Trump kissing Dr. Anthony Fauci.
DeSantis’s political future is uncertain as he’s term-limited in Florida. Some have suggested his wife, Casey, has political potential as well.
DeSantis super PAC head Scott Wagner was spotted doing a puzzle on January 9th, just weeks before the Iowa caucuses. One staffer complained that Wagner worked on that puzzle for hours while staffers were dedicated and working to get DeSantis’s message out to voters.
The puzzle fiasco is perhaps a good symbol for the campaign overall, while DeSantis had plenty of cash and political advisers, it lacked direction and vision, according to critics.
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