Photo — Donald Trump: This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ppbd.11614.This tag does not indicate the copyright status of the attached work. A normal copyright tag is still required. See Commons:Licensing. (Public domain) · Ron DeSantis: Office of Congressman Ron DeSantis (Public domain)
The Short Version
Former U.S. President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis moved from political allies to fierce rivals during the 2024 Republican presidential primary before publicly reconciling following DeSantis's exit from the race.
Latest Development
Book Excerpts Highlight Past Primary Tension
Reporting on Alex Isenstadt's book detailed 2023 comments by Trump regarding DeSantis, while noting the two figures had recently golfed together.
March 17, 2025 · Reported
The Beef
Chronological, newest first. Every entry cites a source.
Beef timeline
March 17, 2025
Book Excerpts Highlight Past Primary Tension
ReportedReporting on Alex Isenstadt's book detailed 2023 comments by Trump regarding DeSantis, while noting the two figures had recently golfed together.
Source ↗December 4, 2024
DeSantis Reported as Defense Secretary Contender
ReportedReports emerged that Trump was considering DeSantis for Secretary of Defense as Pete Hegseth faced scrutiny.
Source ↗January 21, 2024
DeSantis Suspends Campaign and Endorses Trump
Public statementDeSantis withdrew from the Republican presidential primary and publicly endorsed Trump for president.
Source ↗December 13, 2023
Rivalry Escalates with Campaign Email Attacks
ReportedNBC News reported that Trump's campaign was distributing daily emails targeting DeSantis, while DeSantis criticized Trump's positions on abortion and pandemic policies.
Source ↗August 7, 2023
DeSantis Rejects Trump's 2020 Election Claims
Public statementIn an NBC News interview, DeSantis stated directly that Trump lost the 2020 presidential election.
Source ↗June 1, 2023
DeSantis Calls Trump's Nicknames Petty and Juvenile
Public statementDeSantis responded to Trump's personal attacks during a radio interview, calling the behavior petty and juvenile.
Source ↗May 24, 2023
DeSantis Launches Presidential Campaign Amid Trump Attacks
Verified eventDeSantis officially announced his presidential campaign, prompting Trump to issue statement attacks calling him disloyal and a RINO.
Source ↗April 26, 2023
Trump Comments on Disney Lawsuit Against DeSantis
Public statementFollowing Disney's federal lawsuit against DeSantis, Trump remarked that the governor had been outplayed and embarrassed by Mickey Mouse.
Source ↗January 29, 2023
Trump Accuses DeSantis of Disloyalty Over COVID-19 Record
AllegationTrump accused DeSantis of disloyalty and claimed the governor was trying to rewrite history regarding his pandemic response.
Source ↗November 8, 2022
Trump Debuts 'Ron DeSanctimonious' Nickname
Public statementTrump introduced the nickname 'Ron DeSanctimonious' at a rally shortly before the 2022 midterm elections.
Source ↗September 27, 2022
Report Claims DeSantis Privately Called Trump a Moron
ReportedVanity Fair reported that DeSantis privately referred to Trump as a moron who should not run for president again.
Source ↗October 4, 2021
Trump Claims He Would Defeat DeSantis in Election
Public statementTrump told Yahoo! Finance that he believed DeSantis would drop out if Trump ran, adding that he would defeat him if they faced each other.
Source ↗April 29, 2021
Trump Calls DeSantis a Friend and Potential Running Mate
Public statementIn a Fox Business interview, Trump referred to DeSantis as a friend and noted he would consider him as a potential running mate.
Source ↗November 17, 2018
DeSantis Elected Governor of Florida
Verified eventDeSantis won the Florida gubernatorial election with strong public endorsement from Trump, who celebrated the victory as a sign of his political clout.
Source ↗
Where It Stands
Cooling Off. DeSantis suspended his campaign in January 2024 and endorsed Trump. The two have since golfed together, though political maneuvering around future endorsements continues.
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Sources
- 1.SourceBook Excerpts Highlight Past Primary Tension · Mar 17, 2025
- 2.SourceDeSantis Reported as Defense Secretary Contender · Dec 4, 2024
- 3.SourceDeSantis Suspends Campaign and Endorses Trump · Jan 21, 2024
- 4.SourceRivalry Escalates with Campaign Email Attacks · Dec 13, 2023
- 5.SourceDeSantis Rejects Trump's 2020 Election Claims · Aug 7, 2023
- 6.SourceDeSantis Calls Trump's Nicknames Petty and Juvenile · Jun 1, 2023
- 7.SourceDeSantis Launches Presidential Campaign Amid Trump Attacks · May 24, 2023
- 8.SourceTrump Comments on Disney Lawsuit Against DeSantis · Apr 26, 2023
- 9.SourceTrump Accuses DeSantis of Disloyalty Over COVID-19 Record · Jan 29, 2023
- 10.SourceTrump Debuts 'Ron DeSanctimonious' Nickname · Nov 8, 2022
- 11.SourceReport Claims DeSantis Privately Called Trump a Moron · Sep 27, 2022
- 12.SourceTrump Claims He Would Defeat DeSantis in Election · Oct 4, 2021
- 13.SourceTrump Calls DeSantis a Friend and Potential Running Mate · Apr 29, 2021
- 14.SourceDeSantis Elected Governor of Florida · Nov 17, 2018
Allegations are attributed to the party that made them and are not statements of fact.