Former President Donald Trump held a rally in Waco, Texas, on Saturday where he repeatedly attacked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
A lengthy clip flagged by Mediaite showed the former president’s attacks not landing well with the crowd, who grew mostly silent. “Compared to how Trump’s crowd normally reacts to his bits, the reaction to his mocking DeSantis was practically dead air,” the report said.
Trump attacked DeSantis’ widely-praised response to the pandemic, said that DeSantis was “not good” on crime, and mocked him with nicknames. Trump’s attacks come as an analysis from Fox News this week found that Trump attacks DeSantis four times more than he attacks President Joe Biden.
“When a man comes to me with tears in his eyes, he’s had almost nothing in the polls,” Trump claimed while referencing DeSantis’ 2018 gubernatorial run. “He’s at almost nothing, he’s got no cash.”
“And I said, I can’t give you an endorsement. There’s no way you can when you’re dead,” Trump claimed. “I said, let’s give it a shot, Ron. I endorsed him. He became like a rocket ship. Within one day the race was over.”
Trump’s guests also attacked DeSantis at the rally, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Mike Lindell.
Lindell called DeSantis “Trojan horse Ron DeSantis,” and then said that “the best thing he can do is endorse Donald Trump tomorrow morning.”
Trump attorney Christina Bobb also attacked DeSantis in Waco, saying that “if he actually does try to enter this race, [he] will come out a bloodied pulp.”
Thousands attended the rally where Trump also took aim at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s grand jury investigation into the former president’s alleged $130,000 hush money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.
“The district attorney of New York under the auspices and direction of the ‘department of injustice’ in Washington, D.C., is investigating me for something that is not a crime, not a misdemeanor, not an affair,” Trump claimed.
“This is really prosecutorial misconduct, that’s what it’s called. The innocence of people makes no difference whatsoever to these radical Left maniacs,” Trump said. “The thugs and criminals who are corrupting our justice system will be defeated, discredited, and totally disgraced.”
The former president claimed last week that he was going to be indicted on Tuesday of this week, which did not happen — though an indictment could still be forthcoming. Bragg said this week that Trump had “created a false expectation that he would be arrested.”
Trump faces additional legal jeopardy in three other criminal investigations into him, including a federal investigation into his efforts to stay in power after the 2020 election, an investigation in Georgia into his efforts to stay in power after the 2020 election, and a federal investigation into his handling of U.S. government records after he left the White House.