Former President Donald Trump is taking aim at two of his onetime Republican allies. In separate statements, Trump attacked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Virginia Gov. Glen Youngkin.
On Friday, Trump posted to Truth Social: “Young Kin (now that’s an interesting take. Sounds Chinese, doesn’t it?) in Virginia couldn’t have won without me. I endorsed him telephonically, got MAGA to Vote for him-or he couldn’t have come close to winning. But he knows that, and admits it. Besides, having a hard time with the Dems in Virginia-But he’ll get it done!”
Reporters asked Youngkin asked about Trump’s comments Friday.
“I didn’t see it. I have to be honest, I’ve been busy all morning,” the governor responded. “Listen, you all know me. I do not call people names. I really work hard to bring people together.”
“That’s not the way I roll and not the way I behave,” he added.
Asked about former President Trump saying Gov. Youngkin’s name “sounds Chinese” and that he couldn’t have won without him, @GovernorVA says he didn’t see the comments. He said he does not call people names and he is focused on bringing people together @8NEWSpic.twitter.com/PlZ9aFXTWv
The day before Trump posted on Truth Social about Youngkin, Virginia’s Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears said she “couldn’t support” Trump in 2024.
“A true leader understands when they have become a liability,” Sears said. “A true leader understands that it’s time to step off the stage, and the voters have given us that very clear message.”
Trump’s attack on Youngkin came one day after the former president released a statement about Ron DeSantis. In that statement, Trump began by saying, “NewsCorp, which is Fox, the Wall Street Journal, and the no longer great New York Post (bring back Col!), is all in for Governor Ron DeSanctimonious, an average REPUBLICAN Governor with great Public Relations.”
In the statement, which Trump also excerpted to Truth Social, the former president said his endorsement of Ron DeSantis in 2017 was like a “nuclear bomb”, and that Trump had “fixed” DeSantis’ campaign which Trump said had “completely fallen apart.”
Gov. DeSantis won reelection by a wide margin on Tuesday, and Republicans now have a supermajority in both the Florida House and Senate. DeSantis has not officially announced a presidential run for 2024, but both he and Youngkin are seen as possible candidates.
Former President Trump has taken several jabs at DeSantis over the last few weeks. The Florida Governor has not publicly responded to the criticisms.
This story has been updated to include Gov. Youngkin’s response.
