Former President Donald Trump announced that Ron DeSantis is now fully supporting his re-election bid following a private meeting between the former Republican foes in South Florida, where they reportedly discussed the November election but ended up causing the Florida governor to become a laughingstock in the process.
Not one to miss an opportunity to slam either man, comedian Jimmy Kimmel called DeSantis a “pathetic little worm” on his Monday night show after Trump went on Truth Social to announce that DeSantis had pledged his “enthusiastic support.”
The post led to widespread public ridicule of DeSantis on social media and elsewhere.
“I am very happy to have the full and enthusiastic support of Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida,” Trump wrote. “We had a great meeting yesterday, arranged by mutual friend Steve Witkoff, at his beautiful Shell Bay Club in Hollywood, Florida. The conversation mostly concerned how we would work closely together to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. Also discussed was the future of Florida, which is FANTASTIC!”
Trump appeared proud in the post, and seized the opportunity to showcase increasing unity among Republicans, pointing to a trend of alignment between moderate conservatives and emerging hardliners within the GOP who remain loyal to Trump and continue to uphold his influence in Congress following the end of his term in 2021.
“I greatly appreciate Ron’s support in taking back our Country from the Worst President in the History of the United States,” the former president added, referring to the incumbent, Joe Biden. “November 5th is a BIG DAY!!!”
Following the announcement, many observers called out DeSantis for his apparent fealty to Trump, as well as the flip-flopping nature of their evolving relationship as the candidates have transitioned from allies to foes and now potentially allies again.
“The team knew the meeting went well when DeSantis emerged with Trump’s body bronzer all over his face,” Kimmel quipped on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” poking fun at rumors that Trump wears orange makeup.
Voices blasting DeSantis on social media included MSNBC columnist Hayes Brown, who criticized DeSantis for his “tightening embrace of Trump.” He accused DeSantis of not “clinging to any sort of principle” and acting out of “a need to be in proximity to power.”
Brown pointed out that Trump, who remains the presumptive GOP nominee, has been actively consolidating support for his reelection bid while employing innovative methods to raise funds for his campaign.
“While the cash flow dried up as it became clear that he was being steamrolled by Trump,” Brown writes. “It’s likely that many of DeSantis’ major supporters will follow his lead and support the party’s nominee with their checkbooks.”
DeSantis was a staunch supporter of Trump during his term, but he saw their friendship wane when the Florida governor chose to challenge Trump as a Republican candidate in 2024.
When DeSantis initially entered the race, he was viewed as a strong contender for the 2024 GOP nomination, especially as Trump dealt with mounting legal troubles. However, as the campaign unfolded, DeSantis quickly lost ground in the polls, while Trump further undermined DeSantis by defeating him in Iowa, a state where the Florida governor had spent heavily for what became a humiliating return on investment.
Early in the campaign, Trump claimed DeSantis had approached him in tears during the 2018 gubernatorial campaign, “begging” for his endorsement, which Trump agreed to. In exchange, DeSantis released a campaign ad praising Trump’s leadership.
Experts attributed DeSantis’ eventual fall to various missteps by his campaign and Trump’s continuous criticism of the man he previously endorsed for governor but turned against him on the campaign trail, regularly calling DeSantis “Meatball Ron” and “DeSanctimonious.”
Before dropping out of the race in January, DeSantis criticized other Republicans for “kissing the ring” of Donald Trump to remain in his favor.
At the time, DeSantis criticized Trump’s expectations of loyalty, as well as those within the party who readily complied.
“You can be the most worthless Republican in America. But if you kiss the ring, he’ll say you’re wonderful,” DeSantis said in January before the Iowa ballot. “You can be the strongest, most dynamic, successful Republican and conservative in America ― but if you don’t kiss that ring, then he’ll try to trash you.”
Now, critics said, DeSantis was reneging on his principles.
Reports indicate that after their friendly meeting, which lasted several hours, DeSantis agreed to support Trump’s campaign. The former president’s team is counting on DeSantis to rally his donors to support Trump’s struggling fundraising efforts.
Later in his monologue, Kimmel cracked a joke about this new arrangement, telling the audience that DeSantis apparently forgot about Trump’s disrespect, as well as his previous stance against the former president. “I would love to have been in that room with Trump going: ‘No, I called you meatball in a good way.’”
Kimmel continued taking cheap shots for several minutes.
“Poor Ron De Santis, what a pathetic little worm,” he joked. “They said he did because he wants to run for president again in 2028. That seems like a great idea. What he doesn’t realize is Trump is also going to be running for president again in 2028.”
When DeSantis withdrew from the race, Trump mellowed out his public rhetoric. Now, no longer a threat to Trump, DeSantis quickly endorsed him, prompting Trump to praise his former rival as a “really terrific person.”
The moment was striking as both men made a complete reversal from their prior negative stances toward each other on the campaign trail.
Like Kimmel, a chorus of political commentators on social media couldn’t resist weighing in on the controversy, with many suggesting DeSantis failed to show any type of backbone or willingness to stand up to Trump for his previous disrespect toward the Florida governor.
X user @CaptainSmirker didn’t mince words as he summed up how he believed Trump’s announcement should be perceived.
“Translation, Ron DeSantis proves yet again what a spineless, feckless, fake-tough-guy he really is,” he wrote.
The wave of criticism aimed at DeSantis was sharp and severe.
“What a loser,” Ron Filipkowski wrote on X, blasting DeSantis. “He gave a very weak, tepid, halfhearted statement saying he will support him.”
“That’s much different than calling him, begging forgiveness, asking for an in-person meeting, then agreeing to do a major fundraiser for him. Today was his total surrender.”
Some social media users speculated whether DeSantis was vying to become Trump’s pick for vice president.
“Bet Trump told DeSantis he’s in the running for the VP stakes,” Mr. Zip posted on X.
“Trump supporters love it,” wrote Vince Langman. “However, a large percentage of DeSantis supporters have turned into Liz Cheney, never Trumpers.”
