In the proverbial battle of wits, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ended up fighting with the equivalent of an unarmed and uncoordinated fat kid. The results were both predictable and ugly.

DeSantis has been one of the leading lights on the right. His refusal to let a battalion’s worth of multi-degreed leftists who hold average Americans in contempt while using the cudgel of pseudo-science to limit civil liberties cow him into surrendering (Kristi Noem, check your voicemail) has vaulted him to the front rank of GOP presidential contenders for 2024. This is no secret to the White House, which has been increasingly aiming its fire at DeSantis. Naturally, DeSantis has been pushing back.

My colleague Sister Toldjah covered the sturm und drang in Joe Biden Makes an Unwise Crack About Ron DeSantis That Could Come Back to Haunt Him. This is the setup for the headline that catapulted Sister Toldjah from mere pundit to prophetess.

Case in point, Biden was asked earlier today about comments DeSantis made Wednesday about how he would stand in the way of any mandates pushed by the Biden administration on Florida. Here’s how the exchange between Biden and NBC News White House correspondent Kelly O’Donnell went down:

“What is your response to Gov. DeSantis, who is using your words about ‘don’t be in the way’ and he’s saying ‘I am in the way, to block too much interference from the federal government.’ Your response, Mr. President?” O’Donnell inquired.

“Governor who?” Biden responded as people, presumably other reporters, could be heard laughing. “That’s my response.”

Today at a DeSantis press conference, the issue resurfaced, and the outcome was like Babe Ruth playing tee-ball.

REPORTER: Do you have a comment about the comment that President Biden made recently?

DESANTIS: Well, I guess I’m not surprised that Biden doesn’t remember me, I guess the question is what else has he forgotten? Biden’s forgotten about the crisis at our southern border. I can tell you that biden has forgotten about the inflation that’s biting the budgets of families all throughout our country. Biden has forgotten about the demonstrators who are fighting for freedom down in Cuba and Biden’s even forgotten about the Constitution itself as we saw with what he did with this moratorium. And I can just tell you I’m the governor who protects parents in their ability to make the right choices for their kids’ education. I’m the governor who protects the jobs and education and businesses in Florida by not letting the federal government lock us down. I’m the governor who answers to the people of Florida not to bureaucrats in Washington.

If you listen carefully at the end of the video, you can hear the reporter call 9-1-1- to report a case of elder abuse.

Right now, DeSantis is on the cusp of breaking out as the leader of the conservative/populist resistance to Biden’s totalitarian tendencies. We’ve seen some other governors roll over and play dead at the first hint of danger; so far, DeSantis has avoided being Asa Hutchinson 2.0 and has been smart and combative in his stances. More importantly, Biden is elevating DeSantis to peer status. It is difficult to believe the White House will let this go, and over the weekend, we can expect to see Sundowning Joe mumble something the “we-can’t-meme” gang has scripted for him while sniffing hair or eating random items found on his chin and the media will spin it as some kind of “sick burn.” But no one, not even the media, will believe that story.