Former President Donald Trump says that the presidential campaign of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is "dead" and "heading to hell."
Trump, who frequently refers to DeSantis as "Ron DeSanctimonious," leads the 2024 GOP primary field by a wide margin. Despite DeSantis trailing the former president by around 30 points in an average of recent polls compiled by RealClearPolitics, the Florida governor remains Trump's closest opponent.
The former president is statistically tied with President Joe Biden in a hypothetical general election rematch, holding a head-to-head 0.6 percent advantage in a RealClearPolitics average. An average of polls for a Biden-DeSantis matchup shows the president with a small 1 percent lead, although some polling has indicated that DeSantis may outperform Trump in swing states.
Trump claimed in a Truth Social post on Thursday that his recent federal indictment on 37 felony counts related to his handling of classified documents occurred because he was leading Biden by "so much" in the polls. He also implicated DeSantis in the conspiracy while declaring the death of his campaign and maintaining that "they" are "dying to run against" his GOP opponent instead of him.
"The DeSanctimonious campaign is DEAD!" Trump wrote. "His polls are dropping like a rock heading to Hell, and the DOJ/FBI are continuing their illegal and outrageous weaponization against me only because I am leading Biden by so much. It's called ELECTION INTERFERENCE, and they have NO FEAR against DeSanctus - He's the one that they are dying to run against, dispute [sic] their DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGN!"
Newsweek has reached out to the DeSantis campaign online for comment.
During a Fox News appearance on Wednesday, DeSantis sidestepped a question on polling from host Martha MacCallum, who asked him if he was "frustrated" that Trump is still holding a commanding lead.
"Our mission is very simple," DeSantis said, while slightly shaking his head. "We're going to defeat Biden, we're going to get all this stuff done for the American people. No more excuses."
The Florida governor also appeared reluctant to directly criticize Trump during a campaign event in New Hampshire on Tuesday, although he did hit the ex-president for failing to "drain the swamp," arguing that "it's worse today than it's ever been."
Trump, on the other hand, has been anything but reluctant to publicly and frequently lash out at DeSantis and other Republican rivals. He has also openly discussed details of his federal indictment, which some experts have suggested could harm his chances in court.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that the federal felony charges that he is facing, as well as felony charges in New York state, are all part of an unfounded and politically motivated "witch hunt."
Polling released this week and conducted by Redfield & Wilton Strategies exclusively for Newsweek found that Trump's legal troubles could be impacting how he is viewed by the public.
The poll found that 47 percent of a sample of 1,500 voters believe that the charges Trump is facing are "primarily the result of his own actions which appear to have been illegal"—a 13-point increase from the 34 percent who agreed in April.
In addition, the number of voters who believe that investigations of the former president's actions are "politically motivated attacks" plunged from 57 percent in April to 38 percent in June.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Aila Slisco is a Newsweek night reporter based in New York. Her focus is on reporting national politics, where she ... Read more
