Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was given a blunt reminder of his own past as well as a glimpse into his possible future after his latest attack on Donald Trump.
“You can be the most worthless Republican in America,” DeSantis said on Sunday ahead of the Iowa caucuses. “But if you kiss the ring, he’ll say you’re wonderful.”
As DeSantis pointed out, it also works the other way.
“You can be the strongest, most dynamic, successful Republican and conservative in America ― but if you don’t kiss that ring, then he’ll try to trash you,” DeSantis said.
He made similar comments in autumn.
Trump has been open about being a “loyalty freak.”
“I value loyalty above everything else—more than brains, more than drive and more than energy,” Trump wrote in his 2007 book, Think Big And Kick Ass In Business And Life.
But as many observers quickly pointed out on X, DeSantis was one of the ring-kissers as a key Trump ally when in Congress, as well as for much of his time as Florida governor.
Trump has claimed that DeSantis came to him crying as he “begged” for an endorsement ahead of Florida’s 2018 gubernatorial primary, and DeSantis released a cringey campaign video about his loyalty to Trump that same year.
DeSantis could soon be a ring-kisser again: He has pledged to support Trump if the former president wins the nomination even if he is convicted of a felony. DeSantis has also said he would pardon Trump if elected president himself.
DeSantis’ critics stepped in with some reminders: