A political action committee backing Ron DeSantis for a potential 2024 White House bid is offering to help Donald Trump move out of Florida after the former president claimed that the state “continues to tumble into complete delinquency and destruction” under the Republican governor’s leadership.
The group Never Back Down said they would cover the costs for Mr. Trump to move his Mar-a-Lago estate to California “so he can be close to his good buddy Gavin Newson, whom he loves so intensely and gets along with so well,” referring to California’s Democratic governor.
“The good news is that since so many people are moving to the state of Florida, thanks to the incredible success of Governor Ron DeSantis, no one will notice when Trump leaves,” Never Back Down CEO Chris Jankowski said in a statement. “The state of Florida will be better off when Trump takes his Soros-fueled, dumpster fire of a campaign to San Francisco, where it will fit right in.”
The offer is in response to Mr. Trump’s campaign’s remarks on Friday accusing Mr. DeSantis of a “weeks-long shadow campaign.”
“The real DeSantis record is one of misery and despair,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said. “He has left a wake of destruction all across Florida and people are hurting because he has spent more time playing public relations games instead of doing the hard work needed to improve the lives of the people he represents.”
The episode marks an escalation in the two Republicans’ ongoing feud.
Trump-aligned groups have launched several campaigns targeting Mr. DeSantis, ranging from ads bashing his record on Social Security and Medicare to others critiquing how he eats pudding.
Mr. DeSantis, who has not announced a formal bid for the GOP nomination for 2024, is seen as Mr. Trump’s closest contender despite the former president’s considerable lead in recent polling.
• Joseph Clark can be reached at jclark@washingtontimes.com.
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