Trump Calls DeSantis An ‘Average’ Governor, Says He Was ‘Politically Dead’ Before Endorsing Him

Former President Donald Trump criticized Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida Thursday in a statement posted on Truth Social, calling him an “average” governor who was “politically dead” and in “desperate shape” before Trump endorsed him in 2017.

“Ron came to me in desperate shape in 2017—he was politically dead, losing in a landslide to a very good Agriculture Commissioner, Adam Putnam, who was loaded up with cash and great poll numbers. Ron had low approval, bad polls, and no money, but he said that if I would Endorse him, he could win,” Trump said in the statement.

DeSantis defeated Adam Putman, the Republican Agriculture Commissioner, in the 2018 Republican primary for governor by 20%, according to Ballotpedia.

Trump previously attacked DeSantis Saturday, calling the Florida Republican “Ron De-Sanctimonious.”

“I then got Ron by the ‘Star’ of the Democrat Party, Andrew Gillum (who was later revealed to be a ‘Crack Head’), by having two massive Rallies with tens of thousands of people at each one. I also fixed his campaign, which had completely fallen apart,” Trump said later. “I was all in for Ron, and he beat Gillum, but after the Race, when votes were being stolen by the corrupt Election process in Broward County, and Ron was going down ten thousand votes a day, along with now-Senator Rick Scott, I sent in the FBI and the U.S. Attorneys, and the ballot theft immediately ended, just prior to them running out of the votes necessary to win. I stopped his Election from being stolen.”

DeSantis won the 2018 gubernatorial race against Democratic Mayor Andrew Gillum of Tallahassee by a razor-thin margin of 33,683 votes or 0.41%. DeSantis defeated former Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist by 17% on Tuesday, part of a Republican landslide in Florida that was a bright spot on a night where the party underperformed expectations nationwide.

Trump-endorsed Republican senatorial nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz lost to Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania Tuesday, while other endorsees, including Adam Laxalt in Nevada and Blake Masters are in elections that are too close to call as of Thursday evening. Former NFL running back and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker faces a Dec. 6 runoff against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia.

DeSantis did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

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