The headline is a bit facetious, as I assume most aren’t sitting on pins and needles waiting to find out whether a mainstream media narrative (that also got picked up by Never Trumpers) is true. Still, when more information comes out on a story, RedState is here to share it, if for no other reason than to gloat — and rest assured, there will be gloating.

So, what’s the background here? Some days ago, I penned a piece on the supposed “feud” going on between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis. In doing so, I laid out the evidence being presented by others, with included a couple of very general jabs in which neither man named the other.

My conclusion? That the entire thing was almost wholly manufactured, leaving open the possibility that maybe some pokes occurred, but that it would go no further than that. The reason why, as I explained, was simple: DeSantis and Trump fighting is exactly what the left wants, and the push to make it happen was far too transparent to ignore.

With all that said, let me explain what this is really about.

Ron DeSantis represents an existential threat to the left, including those on the left who claim to be on the right. He’s smart, he handles the media with absolute expertise, and most of all, he’s highly effective. A battle between Trump and DeSantis is exactly what they want. That’s why you are getting absurdly false contentions that DeSantis has courted anti-vaxxers, while Trump is presented as being highly pro-vaccine. That is the pressure point that is believed to be exploitable, and it’s a completely transparent strategy.

In short, I don’t buy what’s being written. Trump knows that hitting DeSantis on not being draconian enough on COVID-19 (which was absolutely the right move, given the ineffectiveness of lockdowns, mandates, passports, etc.) is a recipe for disaster. On the other hand, DeSantis knows that getting into a slap-fight with Trump in 2022 is pointless.

Now, with nearly a week passing, we have an update on how the “feud” is going, and you’ll be less than shocked to learn it doesn’t seem to really exist. While some predicted a forthcoming angry statement from Trump in response to DeSantis’ interview on the “Ruthless” podcast, exacerbating the alleged tensions, that never materialized.

In fact, the opposite occurred, with the Trump camp downplaying the entire ordeal and speculating about third-party interference. Then the man himself put the rumors to bed, stating that he has a “very good” relationship with DeSantis. (Emphasis mine)

“Well, I have a very good relationship with Governor DeSantis you know, 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,” he told reporters on a call discussing his new picture book ​​”Our Journey Together,” which took place during President Biden’s first press conference in 10 months.

“And then I helped him beat their so-called star the Democrats’ star who turned out not to be much of a star. But no, I have a very good relationship with him, and we’ve had that for a long time. I was very supportive of him and I continue to be — no, I think he’s good, I think he’s very good.”

So, there you have it. Those who ran to push this “feud” narrative got way out over their skis, not because of an honest mistake, but because they wanted it to be true. And to be sure, those who were spreading these rumors were neither fans of Trump nor DeSantis. That kind of thing might earn one praise from Maggie Haberman, but it clearly didn’t actually lead to anything substantive. The desire to see blood between Trump and DeSantis was simply about political gain for a specific group of bystanders.

That’s not going to happen, though. As I said in my original article, there may come a time for choosing where the men butt heads. For now, though, both of them are far too smart to come to blows anytime soon. Republicans have a mid-term to win, after all.