Donald Trump Sets The Record Straight About His Relationship With Ron DeSantis

Both Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis have been talked about to run for president in 2024 on the Republican ticket — so a natural rivalry is to be expected. But how do the two politicians actually feel about one another? Media reports have them at odds (via The New York Times). Insider has Trump "talking trash" about the Florida governor, while the Independent reports that DeSantis just said he regrets he didn't voice his opposition to Trump's COVID-19 restrictions more vehemently while the latter was in office.

The Hill recently published a piece about the rising tension between the two, noting things are only getting uglier as we near the 2024 primaries. The outlet reported that the bad blood was mainly coming from the businessman, with his former advisor, Sam Nunberg, saying, "President Trump is the one clearly picking a fight here, and it's a fight that's too early and unnecessary. We're not in Republican primary season. This is a fight for mid-2023. It's not a fight to start having in 2022."

But do the two conservatives actually despise each other as much as media reports would have us believe?

No, Trump and DeSantis are not on as terrible terms as we may think — that is if we listen to what Trump himself has to say about his association with the younger Floridian. Talking to reporters on Wednesday, the former commander-in-chief said he and DeSantis have "​​a very good relationship" (via New York Post).

Trump also boasted about having bolstered DeSantis' rise within politics, saying about his securing the Florida governorship, "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."

Is Trump doing damage control with these comments about DeSantis? The timing does suggest as much, with Insider reporting Trump did not have nice things to say about his would-be rival for the top job in private. Axios stated the controversial former president said DeSantis has a "dull personality" and "no personal charisma."