Trump mocks his 2024 rivals: Ex-President says ‘DeeeSantis’ wants to change his name

Former President Donald Trump went back to ridiculing members of the expanding presidential field – poking fun at Ron DeSantis for his shifting stance on how to pronounce his own name and insulting former advisor Chris Christie over his weight.

Trump issued the insults on his Truth Social platform following reports that Christie, the former New Jersey governor, would soon jump into the race. 

Former Vice President Mike Pence is also expected to announce his entry within days. 

The moves establish a crowded field where once again Trump rivals are set to expend considerably energy taking on each other.

Trump has been training most of his fire on DeSantis, as he did last night with a post that pointed to repeated changes in how DeSantis pronounces his last name. He pronounced it ‘dee-Santis’ during the video announcing his campaign, then pronounced it ‘da-Santis’ during interviews on Fox News, keeping up a pattern that goes back years.

‘Have you heard that “Rob” DeSanctimonious wants to change his name, again,’ Trump wrote, once again calling his rival ‘Rob’ for unexplained reasons.

‘He is demanding that people call him DeeeSantis, rather than DaSantis. Actually, I like “Da” better, a nicer flow, so I am happy he is changing it. He gets very upset when people, including reporters, don’t pronounce it correctly. Therefore, he shouldn’t mind, DeSanctimonious?’

The last line referenced the tag that Trump usually uses on his rival, who trails him in the polls but is campaigning across Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina this week.

Trump also reposted an attack on Christie, who endorsed Trump in 2016 and for a time ran his presidential transition before becoming a Trump critic at the end of his presidency.

It was a post by longtime Trump advisor Roger Stone. Trump, days before leaving office, commuted Stone’s 40-month prison sentence for lying to Congress.  

Trump reposted an attack on former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, days before Christie is set to jump into the presidential contest

Trump reposted an image by longtime advisor Roger Stone. The image appeared to be doctored to make Christie look larger, AFP reported by examining the original imagae

DeSantis, seen here with wife Casey DeSantis, has toggled between pronouncing his name ‘Dee-Santis’ and ‘Da-Santis’

Stone posted an image that appears to have been modified showing an image of a large Christie, who has struggled with his weight. ‘@ChrisChristie needs to run. Not for President. He just needs to run,’ Stone wrote. Trump reposted the missive without comment. 

An AFP reporter who examined the original image noted that material from the background in the original Reuters photo was not visible in the one Stone posted, indicating it was ‘doctored.’ 

His attacks come after DeSantis, who is campaigning in Iowa Thursday, called to ‘dispense with the culture of losing that’s infected the Republican Party,’ referencing underperformance at the national level and Trump’s 2020 loss to Joe Biden.

In New Hampshire on Thursday, DeSantis said leadership was ‘not entertainment’ and ‘not about building a brand,’ in another possible ding at Trump.

The growing Republican field has Trump critics fearing the former president’s base will hold while rivals tear each other apart.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, himself a possible contender, predicts there won’t be such a replay, and urged candidates to jump out of the race if they underperform. 

‘Come November or December of this year, if you’re not polling well get your butt out of this race, let’s narrow it down to a couple candidates,’ he told Fox News on Thursday. ‘That’s more fair to the process,’ he said.