The two leading Republican presidential primary candidates were swapping barbs Wednesday night as former President Donald Trump urged Gov. Ron DeSantis to come back to Florida and DeSantis was seizing on Trump calling Hezbollah "smart."
"DeSanctus has been flying around the country setting fire to his reputation and destroying the reputation, frankly, of Florida," Trump said Wednesday night in a speech at the Club 47 Trump fan club in West Palm Beach, near Mar-a-Lago, shortening his "Ron DeSanctimonious" nickname to "DeSanctus."
"All he's doing is campaigning."
Trump repeated his criticisms of DeSantis' handling of the insurance industry in the state, one that has been plagued by hurricanes and insurance woes.
"Florida's in the midst of an insurance crisis like never before, and this guy is flying around wasting his time," Trump continued. "Because, you know what, when you're at a level of 9, 8, and now you're in third place, and fourth place and, in one case, he's in fifth place in one particular place. He's in fifth place. You've got to be back here fixing the insurance because the insurance is a real problem in Florida. Insurers are fleeing. You're paying sky-high rates. Seniors are getting squeezed, and families and businesses are being forced to leave your state."
DeSantis hit back at Trump on X on Wednesday night, denouncing Trump's praise for Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah for being "smart" by capitalizing on a failed Israel warning against an attack amid the war with fellow terrorist group Hamas.
"Terrorists have murdered at least 1,200 Israelis and 22 Americans and are holding more hostage, so it is absurd that anyone, much less someone running for President, would choose now to attack our friend and ally, Israel, much less praise Hezbollah terrorists as 'very smart,'" DeSantis tweeted.
"As president, I will stand with Israel, and treat terrorists like the scum that they are."
DeSantis did not mention the most recent insurance-based attacks from Trump, but his campaign called the urging for DeSantis to drop out "wishful thinking," because Trump is "feeling the heat," Politico reported.
"DeSantis is setting the pace in the early states and building the largest grass-roots infrastructure of any candidate this cycle," press secretary Bryan Griffin told Politico.
DeSantis has long praised Florida as the conservative model state in America, hailing his incoming residents as having "voted with their feet."
But Trump is now alleging the insurance issue has Floridians "leaving," all while allegedly using insurance company funds to run for president against Trump.
"They're leaving," Trump said in his speech. "Insurance costs have more than doubled under Ron DeSanctimonious while he's raised millions and millions of dollars from insurance companies.
"So he gets money from the insurance companies that he's supposed to be watching so he can run for president and make a fool out of himself because he's got no talent.
"He's got no skill. You know, one thing about running, you do need a little bit of a personality and he's got no skill. It's been a terrible thing to watch. Actually, I love it."
DeSantis should come back to Florida for his people instead of campaigning in Iowa and New Hampshire, Trump concluded.
"We have to take care of the people of Florida – and their insurance and other problems – who are really being neglected," Trump said. "You have a governor that's never in the state. He's up in Iowa. He's at all sorts. He's in New Hampshire. He goes to South Carolina where he's not even, he's not, I mean, he doesn't even register in the polls.
"Instead of spending hundreds of millions of dollars attacking me and the MAGA movement, all of the money DeSanctus is wasting should instead be used to defeat crooked Joe Biden next November.
"Let him take a shot in '28."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.