President Trump says those media reports that a rift exists between him and the popular Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, are just “fake news.”
The New York Post reports Trump affirmed a “very good relationship” with DeSantis, who is seen as a possible contender for a future Republican presidential nomination.
Reports had claimed in recent days that Trump told advisers that the governor has a “dull personality” and would face an uphill fight in a primary.
The Post reported, “Recent surveys show DeSantis has recently seen an uptick in the polls in a hypothetical 2024 primary, tightening the margin between a potential showdown between him and the former president.”
But Trump said, “Well, I have a very good relationship with Governor DeSantis you know, when he wanted to run, he asked for my support and I supported him and he went, you know, up immediately very, very high. You know, he won the election the day I announced that I was going to give him my endorsement.
“He’s Very Good”
“And then I helped him beat their so-called star the Democrats’ star who turned out not to be much of a star. But no, I have a very good relationship with him, and we’ve had that for a long time. I was very supportive of him and I continue to be — no, I think he’s good, I think he’s very good.”
Trump also affirmed he works well with Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who could be in line to be the next House speaker assuming the GOP, as expected, will take the majority in this fall’s elections.
Fox News said Trump’s response to the issue was that it was “totally fake news.”
The comments came during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.
Trump added, “Ron has been very good. He’s been a friend of mine for a long time. It’s totally fake news.”
Fox reported, “Trump has predicted that if he runs for the White House again, DeSantis won’t run. The governor has deflected when asked about 2024, and DeSantis blamed the media for talk of any tensions with the former president.”
DeSantis said, “I think this is what the media does, and you cannot fall for the bait. You know what they’re trying to do. Don’t take the bait, and just kind of keep on keeping on. We need everybody united for a big red wave in 2022.”
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