Trump Revives Kim Jong Un's 'Rocket Man' Nickname With a Twist for DeSantis

Former President Donald Trump revived his famous nickname for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during an interview on Thursday, deciding that the name, with a new wrinkle, better applies to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Trump first coined the term "Rocket Man" to describe Kim in 2017, a jab at North Korea's uptick in missile and nuclear testing. Many had worried that the former president's rhetoric, which was repeated several times during his time at the White House, could exacerbate relations between the two world leaders. North Korea's foreign ministry also condemned Trump's repeated usage of the phrase, calling Trump a "dotard" in response.

While speaking with the NELK Boys on Thursday, Trump again mentioned his relationship with "Little Rocket Man" when asked about his experiences with Kim, telling the Canadian podcast team that the North Korean leader is "very smart, and he's very cunning, and he's very ruthless."

"But I got to know him very well," Trump said. "And I think we would have had nuclear war, had Obama been able to stay or had crooked Hillary Clinton become president, you would have had a nuclear war with North Korea."

Later in the conversation, Trump reassigned the nickname to DeSantis, who has been the target of many of the former president's verbal jabs heading into the 2024 presidential election. Although DeSantis has yet to formally announce his candidacy, he is touted to be Trump's biggest potential rival for the GOP nomination in the next election cycle.

During Thursday's interview, Trump was asked if he thought his "biggest competition" in his reelection campaign could come from within the Republican Party. The former president said yes, "but they're really fading fast."

"You have a guy from Florida, Ron DeSantis, who I got in with my endorsement," Trump said.

"He was dead politically," the former president said later in the conversation. "I endorsed him and saved him ... he was losing by like 25, 30 points very shortly before the election. When I endorsed him, he went like a rocket ship."

"I should call him 'Rocket Man,'" Trump joked with the podcast hosts. "But now he's 'Rocket Man' that's crashing. His polls are terrible. I'm leading him in every state."

DeSantis previously addressed the repeated attacks from his former Republican ally in an interview with Piers Morgan, telling the British broadcaster that Trump's nicknames and taunting were nothing but "background noise."

Newsweek has reached out to DeSantis' campaign via email for comment.

According to a recent Premise poll, Trump holds a 22-point lead over DeSantis in a hypothetical one-on-one matchup, based on the responses of 573 registered Republican voters.

Another survey conducted by GOP firm Public Opinion Strategies found DeSantis to be more favorable than Trump in two key swing states. According to a poll conducted with 500 registered voters, DeSantis would beat President Joe Biden in a 2024 matchup in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Trump, however, came up short to the current president in both states.

Biden has also not declared his official candidacy for 2024, although he is anticipated to announce his run soon.