DeSantis dismisses Trump attacks as ‘background noise’ as he hints at campaign announcement

Ron DeSantis has dismissed Donald Trump’s unflattering nicknames and verbal jabs as “background noise,” as he hinted at an announcement that he would run for the White House.

Speaking from the Governor's Mansion in Tallahassee, Mr DeSantis said: "I have what it takes to be president, and I can beat Biden."

Asked when a formal declaration would come, he replied: “Stay tuned.”

In a wide-ranging interview with Sun columnist Piers Morgan, the Florida Governor addressed Mr Trump’s increasing hostility and use of unflattering nicknames, including “Ron DeSanctimonious.”

"I don’t know how to spell the sanctimonious one. I don’t really know what it means, but I kinda like it, it’s long, it’s got a lot of vowels,” Mr DeSantis said.

"We’ll go with that, that’s fine. I mean you can call me whatever you want, just as long as you also call me a winner because that’s what we’ve been able to do in Florida is put a lot of points on the board and really take this state to the next level."

Mr Trump has ramped up his attacks on Mr DeSantis, suggesting his rival may face unfounded allegations from "a woman, even classmates that are 'underage' (or possibly a man!)".

As he prepared for potential arrest over hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels, Mr Trump said the Florida governor would also one day be "unfairly and illegally attacked" by accusers.

"To me, it’s just background noise," Mr DeSantis said.

"It’s not important for me to be fighting with people on social media. It’s not accomplishing anything for the people I represent.”

Asked to cite specific differences between him and Trump, Mr DeSantis said: "Well I think there’s a few things.

"The approach to Covid was different. I would have fired somebody like Fauci.”

In another veiled jab, he said: “The way we run the government I think is no daily drama, focus on the big picture, and put points on the board and I think that’s something that’s very important."

Mr Trump was on Tuesday preparing for potential arrest over hush money payments to a porn star. Mr DeSantis waited two days to respond to the news that Mr Trump may be arrested.

When he broke his silence, Mr DeSantis said prosecuting Mr Trump would be “fundamentally wrong”.

However, the governor also needled Mr Trump, saying he personally “couldn’t speak to” what “goes into paying hush money to a porn star”.

Mr Trump responded by posting on Truth Social a photograph purportedly of a youthful Mr DeSantis with three young women, one of them holding a bottle of beer.

He wrote: “Ron DeSanctimonious will probably find out about FALSE ACCUSATIONS & FAKE STORIES sometime in the future, as he gets older, wiser, and better known, when he’s unfairly and illegally attacked by a woman, even classmates that are ‘underage’ (or possibly a man!).

“I’m sure he will want to fight these misfits just like I do!”

The photograph of Mr DeSantis and the young women, whose faces are blurred, was first posted on a blog in 2021.

It is reportedly from when Mr DeSantis was a high school teacher over two decades ago.

Mr Trump first posted his comments and then deleted them, leading some observers to conclude that the former president may have felt he had gone too far.

However, Mr Trump then reposted the comments, adding the photograph that he first highlighted last month.

At that time, Mr DeSantis responded that he did not intend to engage in “smearing other Republicans”.

His spokeswoman called it a “frivolous” and “politically motivated” attack by Mr Trump.

On Tuesday, allies of Mr Trump accused the Florida governor of taking a “cheap shot” by saying he “couldn't speak to” the idea of paying a porn star.

But an ally of Mr DeSantis said: “The fact that Trump is going after DeSantis, and no one else, betrays who he’s most worried about.”