Former President Donald Trump is returning to a tried and true campaign strategy, focusing on creating demeaning nicknames for his most dangerous opponents.
While the Republican field is still sparse, challengers to the party’s leader are starting to file in, with at least one conspicuous absence. Even if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hasn’t confirmed he is running to dethrone Trump, the former president is treating his former protege as his chief rival.
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From his home base at Mar-a-Lago, Trump has been workshopping new monikers for his state’s leader, according to Bloomberg. However, he is struggling to find something to stick to DeSantis, who has shrugged off Democratic attacks and let Republican ones roll off his back.
The latest round of insults includes Trump’s favorite — Ron DeSanctimonious — as well as, Trump allies say, newcomers “Ron DisHonest,” “Ron DeEstablishment,” and “Tiny D.”
DeSantis rose to national prominence during the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic when he took a hard line on reopening public spaces, schools, and businesses while much of the country remained sheltered in place. The Florida governor, who rode his popularity to a stunning 19-point victory in November, has touted his record, though his claims have drawn sharp criticism from Trump.
“There are Republican governors that did not close their states; Florida was closed for a long period of time,” Trump said about DeSantis in January. “They’re trying to rewrite history.”
More recently, Trump has done his best to tie DeSantis to the “establishment” Republicans he ran successfully against in 2016. Trump has highlighted DeSantis’s ties to House Speaker Paul Ryan, and played up former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush’s praise for his predecessor as a point against the current Florida governor.
The PG-13 nature of Trump’s newest nickname for his chief rival reflects a similar criticism leveled against him in 2016 when he was dogged by Saturday Night Live skits and a political action committee that took aim at Trump’s small hands.
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The former president will have another open goal opportunity to score points against DeSantis Saturday evening when he gives the keynote address at the Conservative Political Action Conference. DeSantis, as well as another likely Trump challenger, former Vice President Mike Pence, declined to appear at the conference.
However, Trump isn’t expected to use his bully pulpit to attack future challengers, instead turning his ire on current establishment Republican leaders.
