Former President Donald Trump said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was "desperately" attempting to get out of the 2024 Presidential race.
Trump also suggested the Florida governor was attempting to save face for a 2028 Presidential run, which the former president said DeSantis' chances were "greatly damaged"
"Jeff Roe, Ron’s boss despite having a terrible record of winning, is spending money like a wild man gone bad," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Much of the money being used was raised for his Gubernatorial race, and transferred over (illegally?) because his Presidential donors have largely fled do to his terrible, and still falling, poll numbers."
"Ron is just wasting time!"
Trump also claimed his former campaign advisor Steve Cortes, who has previously expressed support for DeSantis, has suggested the Florida governor exit the 2024 Presidential Race "while the getting is still good."
"He also said (thank you Steve!) that Donald J. Trump is the best Presidential debater ever, and can’t be beaten at the debate game," Trump continued in another post. "Well, based on that, maybe I should enter the debates - But, then again, when you have a 40 to 50 point lead over the field, maybe I shouldn’t???"
The former president has previously suggested he may not participate in the 2024 Republican primary debates.
"Despite Fake News protestations to the contrary, I do better one on one against Ron DeSanctimonious than I do with a field of candidates, large or small," Trump said. "Personally, I don’t think it matters. MAGA!!!"
On Thursday, DeSantis committed to participate in the first Republican presidential nomination "regardless" of the former president's decision to skip the debate or not.
"I hope everybody who's eligible comes," DeSantis said during a Fox News Tonight segment last week. "I think it's an important part of the process and I look forward to being able to be on the stage and introducing our candidacy and our vision and our leadership to a wide audience."
Fox News is scheduled to host the first Republican primary debate on August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Trump holds a commanding lead over DeSantis on PredictIt, a large online political prediction market, often referred to as a “stock market for politics.”
Trump, who launched his re-election bid late last year, is currently trading at $.59 compared to the Florida Governor's $.22 on.
According to Real Clear Politics, Trump holds a 10.3 point advantage over the Florida governor with one Florida Atlantic Poll showing the former president leading DeSantis by a 20-point advantage in the 2024 Republican Presidential Primary.
