Pompeo jumps to defend DeSantis after Trump’s ‘Ron DeSanctimonious’ comment
Ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed his support for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after former President Donald Trump nicknamed the Republican “Ron DeSanctimonious” during a Pennsylvania rally for GOP gubernatorial and Senate candidates.
“Not tired of winning. @GovRonDeSantis you’ve proven conservative policies work. Florida is better for it. Vote for @GovRonDeSantis,” Pompeo Saturday night.
It came after Trump took aim at the governor — the person who will most likely be his toughest political foe in 2024 — while rallying in Latrobe, Pa., on Saturday evening.
With Trump Force One as a backdrop, Republican voters to oust Democrats across the board during Tuesday’s elections, and began reading off his own poll numbers from a jumbo screen nearby.
“We’re winning big, big,ꦑ big in the Republican Party for the nomination like nobody’s ever seen 🐽before,” Trump said.
“There it is, Trump at 71 [percent]. Ron DeSanctimonious at 10 p൩ercent. Mike Pence at 7 — oh, Mike Pence doing better than I thought,” Trump continu🐠ed at the rally for gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano and Senate hopeful Dr. Mehmet Oz.
The 45th president is widely expected to announce his candidacy for 2024 as early as Thursday, depending on whether the results of Tuesday’s midterm elections have been decided.
He dropped another hint Saturday that he was ready to mount another ca𓂃mpaign.
“This is the year we’re going to take back the House. We’re going to take back the Senate. And we’re going to take back America. We’re going to take it back,” Trump said. “And in 2024, moꦰst importantly, we are going to take back our magnificent, oh-so beautiful White House.”
DeSantis, who i❀s leading in the Florida polls and likely to coast to a reelection win over Democrat Charlie Crist, has not said whether he would run𓂃 for president in 2024.
In a debate with Crist last month, DeSantis refused to say whether he would serve a full four-year term if voters sent him back to the governor’s mansion in Florida.
“I know that Charlie is interested in talking about 2024 and Joe Biden, but I just want to make things very, very clear: The only worn-out old donkey I’m looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist,” DeSantis said.
And while Trump will hold a rally in Miami on Sunday to boo♔st GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, DeSantisto attend and will hold his own campaign event in three cities elsewhere in the Sunshine State.
Trump is well known for dubbing his political opponents with nicknames, a practice he exploited during his presidential runs in 20𝕴♋16 and 2020.
He mocked his Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton as “Crooked Hillary.”
During the 2016 primaries, he referred to Rubio as “Little Marco,” Sen. Ted Cruz as “Lyin’ Ted,” and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush “Low Energy Jeb.”
In his 2020 race against President Biden, he repeatedly called his rival “Sleepy Joe.”
