Donald Trump is accusing Ron DeSantis of plagiarizing his campaign message, 'Great American Comeback,' from Trump's 2020 State of the Union address
- Donald Trump accused Ron DeSantis of plagiarizing his 2020 State of the Union speech.
- DeSantis used the phrase "the Great American Comeback" in his presidential campaign announcement.
Former President Donald Trump launched another attack on his freshly minted GOP presidential rival Gov. Ron DeSantis, this time accusing him of plagiarizing his 2020 State of the Union speech.
Trump's camp sent an email circular on Wednesday evening shortly after DeSantis formally announced his presidential bid on Twitter Spaces with Elon Musk. The announcement was marred with technical glitches.
Trump's email said: "Amid a catastrophic failure to launch, Ron DeSantis announced his candidacy with 'Great American Comeback,' a phrase stolen from President Donald J. Trump's 2020 State of the Union address."
Trump's said in his State of the Union address in 2020: "Three years ago, we launched the Great American Comeback. Tonight I stand before you to share the incredible results."
DeSantis appeared to have ripped off the phrase in his campaign announcement, saying: "I'm Ron DeSantis, and I'm running to lead the Great American Comeback." It was also the title of his first official campaign video on Twitter.
Trump threw one last jibe in his email blast: "Perhaps, the DeSantis communications staff was pre-occupied attempting to extinguish the flames of their candidate's announcement to come up with their own message."
Since DeSantis' announcement, Trump has let loose a relentless salvo of insults directed at his rival. He called the technical glitches on DeSantis' announcement a "catastrophe." In the same spirit, his son Donald Trump Junior labeled it a "#DeSaster" on Twitter.
Trump also posted a clip-by-clip comparison of his extravagant announcement at his Mar-a-Lago club in contrast with DeSantis' glitch-filled announcement on Twitter Spaces.
Trump allies jumped on the DeSantis-bashing bandwagon too, with Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, once a DeSantis ally, tweeted: "DeSedative."
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene established that she was supporting Trump and his "Great American Comeback" in a tweet shortly after DeSantis' announcement.
Representatives of DeSantis did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours. Trump's spokesman gave a response which did not address Insider's queries.