- An ex-DeSantis House staffer said the then-congressman used to joke about Trump, per a WaPo report.
- "Ron always said this guy was just an idiot," the former staffer told the newspaper.
For years, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida had been seen as a reliable ally of former President Donald Trump.
When DeSantis was still a largely unknown congressman running for governor in 2018, Trump's endorsement catapulted him to a decisive GOP primary victory that year. During that campaign, DeSantis gained notoriety for a Trump-infused TV advertisement where he played with his small children, telling one daughter to "build the wall" and reading "The Art of the Deal" to his then-infant son.
Once DeSantis sat in the Governor's office in Tallahassee and Trump remained in the White House, it appeared as though their personal and professional ties would only grow stronger.
But according to The Washington Post, DeSantis' feelings about Trump were less than stellar in private. A former congressional staffer for the now-governor told the newspaper that the two of them used to joke about the then-president — with DeSantis reportedly slamming Trump's intelligence.
"Ron always said this guy was just an idiot," the former staffer said.
DeSantis served in the House of Representatives from January 2013 until his resignation in September 2018, a tenure that often takes a back seat to discussions about his career in the US Navy or his gubernatorial record.
But with DeSantis now in the 2024 presidential campaign, the faceoff against his onetime political benefactor is now the defining storyline of the Republican primary.
While Trump remains the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, DeSantis is now the biggest threat to the former president becoming the party's standard-bearer next year.
Insider reached out to a representative of DeSantis for comment.