In this episode of Once They Were Friends, Now One of Them Hates the Other One’s Guts…

Let’s be honest: Ron DeSantis has lived rent-free in Donald Trump’s head for more than a year. While Trump initially played nice when asked about DeSantis and 2024, the real Trump mocked the popular Florida governor during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, calling him: “Ron DeSanctimonious.”

Game on, America: Trump’s sophomoric election-cycle name-calling shtick has begun — bigly.

The great Ronald Reagan said that Republicans should never disparage each other. This was not a good moment. pic.twitter.com/jAnnH5UTjf

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) November 6, 2022

While rumors wildly swirled that Trump would finally make “The Big Announcement” during a Saturday night rally for Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance, the former president instead teased what will be an anticlimactic announcement at Mar-a-Lago on November 15.

I’m going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, November 15th, at Mar-a-Lago…

Finally?

TRUMP: "I'm going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, November 15th, at Mar-a-Lago…" pic.twitter.com/svHU26ac3z

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) November 8, 2022

Meanwhile, Trump lawyer Alina Habba said in an interview that DeSantis “needs to stay in Florida,” pending Trump’s announcement, as transcribed by the New York Post.

He needs to stay in Florida. Just stay where you are. You are doing a great job in Florida. Don’t jump the gun.

Habba then echoed Trump’s late September ill-advised but classic Trump boast that he “made” his former “great friend,” now “ungrateful” nationally-respected governor while repeating her admonishment:

DeSantis is DeSantis because of Trump. I think I like what DeSantis is doing in Florida, but he needs to stay in Florida. He’s not ready, yet.

Translation: Trump justifiably feels threatened by DeSantis’s popularity and has grown increasingly consumed with the reality that the Florida governor could actually dethrone him and win the nomination, head-to-head. Given DeSantis’s discipline, credentials, and depth of knowledge on multiple issues, I don’t doubt for a minute that Trump is genuinely afraid of a DeSantis 2024 run. If not, that’s foolish, as well.

However, as Trump gears up for another run at the White House, DeSantis has emerged as his most formidable opponent. If Trump himself doesn’t believe it, members of his inner circle do. 

This is going very ugly, very soon. And it will be a one-way street: “Ron DeSanctimonious” is way too smart and disciplined to wrestle in the mud with Donald Trump.