Donald Trump has been grousing about Gov. Ron DeSantis at his Mar-A-Lago resort, and guests suspect he's hoping the gossip makes its way to the governor's mansion.
The twice-impeached one-term president has complained to members and guests that DeSantis, who's seeking re-election as Florida governor, has not publicly said he would not seek the 2024 Republican presidential nomination if Trump decides to run, reported Politico's Playbook.
"One guest suspects that Trump's gripes are so frequent because he is planting them in hopes that they'll get back to DeSantis," the website reports. "Trump has told his advisers that DeSantis privately assured him that he won't run if Trump does, but that's not enough for the former president — he wants DeSantis to say it in public."
Trump is apparently so bitter that he has suggested that DeSantis could lose to his Democratic challenger Charlie Crist, whom he calls a "killer."
Aides are feeling pressure to choose between Trump and DeSantis as the governor raises money out of state for his 2022 re-election campaign, and Trump has made it clear that he's not happy that former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows attended a pair of fundraisers for DeSantis in California.
A spokesperson for Trump, however, dismissed Playbook's reporting as "fake news."
