🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Donald Trump has reignited speculation that his relationship with one-time close ally Ron DeSantis is becoming increasingly strained as the former president announced he will hold a Florida rally for Senator Marco Rubio without the governor.
The former president will attend a rally in support of Rubio's reelection campaign at the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition on November 6, two days before the midterm polls open.
However, according to Politico, DeSantis won't be present at the Republican rally, and he wasn't even made aware of the event, which could potentially overshadow any campaigning the governor may plan for that day as he seeks reelection.
One person close to DeSantis told Politico that Trump holding a rally for Rubio is like "an elbow to Ron's throat."
For several months, there have been indications that Trump and DeSantis are no longer the close allies they once were amid continuing speculation they are both considering running for president in 2024 as the GOP nomination.
Michael Binder, a professor of political science at the University of North Florida, said Trump may have felt "betrayed" that his former protege, who he endorsed for governor in 2018, is now appearing to move away from him ahead of a potential clash to lead the GOP.
"It's pretty clear these two don't have a good personal relationship, and while a lot in politics is transactional, personal relationships do matter," Binder told Newsweek.
"Trump likely feels betrayed by a candidate he thinks isn't grateful enough for the 2018 support. DeSantis doesn't feel a lifetime of indebtedness is warranted for a single endorsement. And, they both know each of them are their biggest threat to the GOP nomination.
"The public relationship between the two isn't strained enough for supporters to be choosing sides—yet. But when it is, and it will be if both enter the 2024 race, that is going to be something to watch," Binder added.
Speculation of the Republicans' hostility toward each other began as far back as January, when Trump appeared to criticize DeSantis and other "gutless" politicians who wouldn't confirm or deny whether they had received a COVID vaccine booster.
Trump has also frequently dismissed suggestions that DeSantis would beat him in a hypothetical GOP primary, with opinion polls frequently saying the former president would indeed come out on top against the governor.
There have been signs that DeSantis is trying to distance himself from Trump as he ponders a 2024 run for the White House.
The governor hasn't sought Trump's endorsement on his gubernatorial election campaign, and recently announced he's backing GOP candidate Joe O'Dea, a critic of the former president, in the Colorado Senate race.
Sean Freeder, an assistant professor of political science at the University of North Florida, previously told Newsweek that DeSantis is only weighing into the Colorado Senate race, and backing a candidate who looks likely to lose, just to establish himself more nationally.
"O'Dea can't offer DeSantis anything right now, but support for him now might help DeSantis distinguish himself from Trump in the 2024 Republican primary," Freeder said.
Regarding the Florida rally, a spokesperson for the former president told Politico that the move isn't an intentional snub against the Florida governor, but is part of a four-date tour of the country Trump is embarking on in the days running up to the midterms.
"It came after he and Senator Rubio spoke directly," the unnamed Trump adviser added.
DeSantis has been contacted for comment.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more