Trump and Kari Lake Hint at MAGA Boycott if DeSantis Pursues GOP Nomination

Donald Trump has shared a post on his Truth Social platform that says there isn't "one true Trump supporter" who would vote for Ron DeSantis if he wins the Republican presidential nomination.

The message adds to speculation that DeSantis could face a boycott from Trump supporters if he's the GOP's 2024 candidate. Meanwhile, Arizona Republican Kari Lake, a Trump supporter who ran unsuccessfully for governor last November, is telling Florida's governor he "needs to wait until 2028" if he "wants a political future."

While DeSantis has not formally declared his candidacy for president, he is widely expected to, possibly in the coming weeks, according to an NBC News report. Polling indicates he is the second most popular choice with Republican voters after Trump and therefore would be his most dangerous opponent in the GOP primaries.

In an April 27 post on Truth Social, country singer John Rich warned DeSantis not to run against the former president for the GOP nomination.

Rich wrote: "I don't understand the logic of DeSantis running. Let's just say he beat @realDonaldTrump in the primary (which won't happen) but let's hypothesize."

Rich continued: "If he won, there wouldn't be one true Trump supporter left that would vote for him and he would be destroyed in a general election. This is a losing proposition no matter how you look at it, so why on earth would he voluntarily run head on into the wood chipper?"

When he shared the post, Trump wrote: "I've always said John Rich was a very smart guy."

Newsweek has contacted Trump via the contact form on his website, asking for clarification on whether he would support DeSantis in the general election if he gains the Republican nomination.

This past Saturday, Lake, who has been touted as a possible Trump running mate in 2024, appeared on the podcast of Rudy Giuliani, Trump's former lawyer.

She said: "All I'm saying is I really believe DeSantis needs to realize that if he wants to have a political future he needs to wait until 2028. I think he could if he does the right thing and handles it. I think if DeSantis was to back out now. It would be really smart for him to do that."

Lake continued: "He has got a big career ahead of him and the question is: Does he want a big political career? If he does, I think he backs out now and supports Trump wholeheartedly and then continues to run Florida."

Newsweek has contacted DeSantis for comment by email.

In last November's gubernatorial race in Arizona, Lake lost to Democrat Katie Hobbs. Like Trump, she is refusing to concede defeat, insisting the election was stolen, though this claim has been rejected multiple times in court. She recently told supporters that her team is waiting on a judge to make a final ruling on her election lawsuit and that she's prepared to take the case to the Supreme Court if necessary. In the meantime, she is "strongly considering" running for an Arizona Senate seat.

In Manhattan, Trump has been arraigned on criminal charges over allegations that he falsified business records in connection with the payment of hush money to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. He has pleaded not guilty to the 34 felony counts and denies all wrongdoing in the case.

In addition, the former president is being sued in a civil case involving rape and defamation filed by writer E. Jean Carroll. He has denied any wrongdoing and insists the 1990s incident that Carroll describes in her lawsuit "never happened."