Ex-President Donald Trump has shelved his ‘DeSanctimonious’ nickname for Ron DeSantis, following the Florida governor’s decision to exit from the 2024 presidential race.
What Happened: Trump announced the retirement of the nickname for DeSantis on Sunday, as reported by The Hill. The decision came after DeSantis announced his decision to quit the GOP presidential primary and declared his support for Trump, just a few days before Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary.
At a Sunday campaign event in New Hampshire, Trump addressed the nickname retirement, stating, "You said, ‘Will I be using the name Ron DeSanctimonious.' I said that name is officially retired," according to a video shared by Trump aide Margo Martin on X, the erstwhile Twitter platform.
The retirement of DeSantis from the race leaves Nikki Haley, the former United Nations Ambassador, as the sole significant contender against Trump. The ‘DeSanctimonious’ nickname was first used by Trump for DeSantis during the 2022 midterms, a time when DeSantis was speculated to be contemplating a GOP challenge against Trump.
DeSantis had previously dismissed the nickname as “petty” and “juvenile”. In his Sunday video announcement, he voiced his support for Trump, stating, "I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee and I will honor that pledge. He has my endorsement because we can't go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear: a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents."
Why It Matters: DeSantis officially announced his run for the 2024 presidential elections on the Elon Musk-led social media platform, Twitter in May 2023.
Following this, Trump criticized DeSantis’ campaign as a disaster in May 2023. Referring to a poll, the ex-president said at the time, “As I said – Ron is unelectable. I am up on Crooked Joe Biden by at least 7 and Ron DeSanctimonious is losing by 4. His “campaign” has been a total disaster!”
Among the Republican pack, notable candidates like Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy have already hung up their presidential aspiration boots.
Meanwhile, Haley, another of DeSantis’ former opponents, extended a curt goodbye to him on Sunday. She said in a statement, “I want to say to Ron, he ran a great race, he's been a good governor and we wish him well,” according to a New York Times report.
Photo via Shutterstock
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