Former President Donald Trump’s affinity for nicknames is well known. He’s called current President Joe Biden “SleepyCreepy Joe” and he has bestowed weird names upon many other political opponents.
As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gains momentum as a potential challenger of Trump in the Republican primary for 2024 presidential candidates, Bloomberg reported that Trump is searching for the perfect nickname for him. One of these nicknames is “Tiny D.”
While “Trump allies” cited by the outlet said the former president favors “Ron DeSanctimonious,” they said others in his circle don’t think it is the right weird nickname for DeSantis. So, “Tiny D,” “Ron DisHonest,” and “Ron DeEstablishment,” are now allegedly in the running.
“Nice to see Trump laser-focused on the most important issues of the day, isn’t,” said late night talk show host James Corden of Trump’s nickname workshopping.
In a breakdown of the possible DeSantis nicknames, Margaret Hartmann of Intelligencer provided some analysis of the “Tiny D” option.
“At around five-eight to five-ten, the governor is kind of short for a presidential candidate, and he’s been wearing high heels to cover this up,” she said. “So ‘Tiny D’ could be read as an attack on DeSantis’s height, his insecurities, and his effeminate footwear choices.”
Hartmann also noted that it could be a sign of DeSantis’ “pro-toxic masculinity” coming back to bite him, quoting Jezebel. DeSantis often makes transgender and LGBTQ+ issues talking points, and he championed the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” legislation in Florida.
A list of nicknames Trump has used in the past compiled by Business Insider reveals others that poke fun at people’s size. These include “Little Adam Schiff,” and “Little Jeff Zucker.” He also has called Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) “Senator Dicky Durbin.”
With “Tiny D,” Hartmann noted it also “sounds like Trump is saying his d*** is small,” about DeSantis.
While she concluded that the nickname “isn’t a slam dunk,” she said it would probably be workable. “And it’s a nice callback to Trump’s roots (i.e., assuring 2016 GOP primary voters that “there’s no problem” with his penis size),” Hartmann added.
According to “DeSantis allies” cited by Bloomberg, the governor’s team “believes the political climate is different than in 2016, when Trump won the election, and that the former president will not be able to again bully his way to the nomination.”
Bloomberg noted that DeSantis has avoided getting into any public scuffles with Trump so far. His allies said his youth – he’s 44 years old and Trump is 76 – and political accomplishments will be enough to withstand insults from Trump.
“You don’t have to define President Trump. Everyone has made up their mind. I don’t think Ron DeSantis saying anything negative about Donald Trump will change anyone’s mind,” said Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, according to Bloomberg. Mulvaney recently attended a donor retreat DeSantis hosted in Palm Beach and said he was impressed by the governor’s emphasis on policy.
Poll results released Thursday by the University of North Florida show that 52% of Republicans in DeSantis’ home state would vote for him in the primary, compared to 27% who would vote for Trump. Overall, recent polls have shown that Trump leads the current pack of potential Republican candidates. However, FiveThirtyEight reported this week that “DeSantis is currently in the best position to challenge the former president for the GOP nomination.”
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