Trump questions why DeSantis 'won't say he won't run against me' in 2024: report

• Trump has asked associates why DeSantis won't say he won't challenge him in 2024, the NYT reported.
• "I wonder why the guy won't say he won't run against me," Trump has reportedly said.

Former President Donald Trump has been questioning why Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who's garnered a national profile among Republicans, hasn't said he won't run against him in 2024, according to a New York Times report.

"I wonder why the guy won't say he won't run against me," Trump has said to several associates and advisors, who spoke to the Times on the condition of anonymity. Trump privately said "the magic words" would be for DeSantis to say he won't challenge the former president in 2024, the report said.

Trump did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Recent reports have suggested there's a growing rift between Trump and DeSantis, who have generally been extremely close allies. The Florida governor's political ambitions have seemingly touched a nerve with the former president.

DeSantis has dismissed the notion that there's any sort of spat between him and Trump.

"I think this is what the media does," DeSantis recently said when asked on the "Ruthless" podcast if there was any "animosity" between him and the former president.

DeSantis warned Republicans not to take the bait. "You know what they're trying to do, so just don't take it. Just keep on keeping on. We need everybody united for a big red wave in 2022. We've gotta fight the left, and not only fight, but beat the left. And that's what we're doing in Florida," he said on the podcast.

Christina Pushaw, the Florida governor's spokesperson, echoed these sentiments in a statement to Insider.

"It's not a coincidence that this fabricated media narrative emerged during the worst week of Biden's presidency to date, as it became clear Biden would not be able to deliver on Build Back Better, enact sweeping legislation to federalize elections, or 'shut down the virus' as he had promised during his campaign," Pushaw said.

But after Trump recently criticized Republicans who won't disclose their vaccine status as "gutless," DeSantis, who hasn't disclosed whether he's received a booster shot, seemed to hit back. The Florida governor, who has taken an impassioned stance against pandemic restrictions, expressed regret to "Ruthless" that he hadn't spoken out "much louder" in March 2020 when Trump urged people to stay home to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Neither Trump nor DeSantis have explicitly said whether they'll run in 2024.