Trump calls Ron DeSantis 'Rob' in press release
Trump has been workshopping different nicknames for DeSantis ahead of the 2024 election, including "Ron DeSanctimonious" and "Tiny D."
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
- A new Trump press release called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis "Rob."
- Trump's spokesperson said in a statement that the former president was merely quoting a Daily Mail headline.
- Trump has reportedly been workshopping different nicknames for DeSantis including "Ron DeSanctimonious," "Tiny D," and "Ron DisHonest."
Former President Donald Trump referred to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as "Rob" in a Wednesday press release.
The release referenced a headline from the Daily Mail saying that former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon called DeSantis, who may challenge Trump in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, a "weasel."
"ICYMI: 'Steve Bannon calls Rob DeSantis a 'weasel' and Mike Lindell brands him 'disgusting' for his response to Trump's looming indictment..." the press release said.
Asked about the name mix-up, a Trump spokesperson said that "we are not in the business of editing what the media writes."
"That would be unethical," the spokesperson, Steve Cheung, told Semafor's Shelby Talcott. "We simply quoted the headline in the article. Rob!"
A spokesperson for DeSantis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump has reportedly been experimenting with different nicknames for the Florida governor ahead of what will likely be a contentious 2024 primary.
He frequently calls DeSantis "Ron DeSanctimonious," and according to Bloomberg, he's also been workshopping other nicknames including "Tiny D," "Ron DisHonest," and "Ron DeEstablishment."
DeSantis, meanwhile, brushed off Trump's barbs.
"I don't really know what it means, but I kinda like it, it's long, it's got a lot of vowels," DeSantis recently told the New York Post of Trump's "Ron DeSanctimonious" nickname.
"We'll go with that, that's fine," he added. "I mean, you can call me whatever you want, just as long as you also call me a winner because that's what we've been able to do in Florida, is put a lot of points on the board and really take this state to the next level."
But Trump has doubled down on his criticism of DeSantis in recent weeks, zeroing in on how the Florida governor pronounces his own name.
Last week, Trump reposted a video on his Twitter-esque platform, Truth Social, showing DeSantis flip-flopping on how he pronounced his last name.
At one point, DeSantis pronounced his last name "Dee-Santis," and at another, he pronounced it "Deh-Santis."
Kimberly Leonard contributed reporting.