During his first run at the Presidency, a bid he ultimately won, Donald Trump found great success in the Republican primaries by labeling his opponents with derogatory nicknames.
Jeb Bush was considered a frontrunner for the 2016 nomination with his Presidential lineage – father George and brother George W. both served as Commander in Chief – and a well-received tenure as governor of Florida.
Then Trump dubbed him “low energy” and left him in the dust.
Likewise, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was a rising star as one of the leaders of the “Tea Party” movement. Then Trump insulted his wife and called him “Lyin’ Ted.” Soon many of those Tea Partiers became a large contingent of Trump’s MAGA-faithful.
Of course, Trump’s labels don’t always lead to victory: He lost his Presidential re-election bid after all to the man he called “Sleepy Joe.”
But apparently that one loss against so many other wins isn’t enough to deter the former President from one of his most notable strategies because he’s already workshopping nicknames for the man expected to be his most dangerous competitor the 2024 Republican Presidential nomination: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
At a November rally in Pennsylvania, Trump referred to DeSantis as “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He has also tried out “Shutdown Ron” due to Florida’s brief executive order that temporarily closed bars and nightclubs at the beginning of the COVID pandemic in March 2020.
But lately, Trump has decided to focus more on DeSantis’s appearance: The New York Times reports that Trump is referring to him in private conversations as “Meatball Ron.”
Of course, the nicknames are far from the worst attacks already lobbed by the former President at his potential adversary. He has also amplified allegations that DeSantis partied with underage girls during his time as a high school teacher many years ago, allegations that DeSantis refused to respond to at a recent news conference.
Whatever nickname Trump settles on for DeSantis, one thing is certain: His attacks are just getting started.
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