Joe Rogan slammed former President Trump’s nickname for his potential GOP rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – Ron DeSanctimonious – saying “It’s not a good one.”
Trump had begun using the nicknames for DeSantis in private conversations, a New York Times report revealed last week.
On Rogan’s show this week, host and writer Bridget Phetas discussed how Trump is “losing his grip on nicknames” as the former president continues to peddle the insults about DeSantis.
Tensions between the two potential 2024 rivals continue to boil, despite DeSantis not announcing a presidential bid.
On his show this week, Joe Rogan criticized former President Trump’s nickname for his potential GOP rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — Ron DeSanctimonious — saying, “It’s not a good one.”
Trump had begun using the nicknames for DeSantis in private conversations, a New York Times report revealed last week
There is tension between the two potential 2024 rivals, though DeSantis hasn’t announced a presidential bid. Trump endorsed DeSantis for governor in 2018 and credited his victory
It all started when Trump entered the campaign trail late last month. He told reporters on his plane between events in New Hampshire and South Carolina that it would be very “disloyal” if DeSantis made a major bid against him in 2024.
Trump, who endorsed DeSantis for Florida governor in 2018 and has made his win his own, has poured the insults against him.
Rogan said on his show this week, “He calls him Ron DeSanctimonious.”
Phetasy interjects, “He’ll have to come up with another-” while Rogan concludes, “It’s not a good one.”
Phetasy adds, “He’s losing touch with the nicknames.”
Rogan then says, “There just isn’t a good one you can come up with for Ron, because Ron is too good with that base and his success in Florida is pretty much unprecedented.”
The nicknames continued even after Trump said in a post early Saturday morning on his Truth Social platform that he would not be calling DeSantis by the nickname “Meatball Ron,” but would then use a different slur for his potential GOP challenger in the same post repeated.
The former president claimed it was “inappropriate” to use the word “meatball” as a nickname — which was reportedly a stab at DeSantis’ Italian heritage.
“I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘meatball’ Ron as the fake news insists I will,” he wrote on a conservative social media page.
On Rogan’s show this week, host and author Bridget Phetas discussed how Trump is “losing his connection with nicknames” while the former president continues to insult DeSantis
Trump said in a Truth Social post Saturday that DeSantis won’t be referred to by the nickname “Meatball Ron” because it would be “inappropriate.”
The post continued, “Though FoxNews killing lightweight Paul Ryan is adored by him, Low Energy Jeb Bush is his hero and always by his side, his beaches and state have been closed for a long time, his tests, tests, Tests for the China Virus didn’t work that well, and his loyalty skills are really weak, it would be totally inappropriate to use the word “meatball” as a nickname for Ron!”
But this week, late at night, he posted again, accusing DeSantis of being supported by a “perverted” organization and being a “RINO in disguise.”
‘Ron DeSanctimonious wants to cut your Social Security & Medicare, locks down Florida and its beaches, loves RINOS Paul Ryan, Jeb Bush & Karl Rove (Disasters ALL!), supported by Globalist’s Club for NO Growth, Lincoln Pervert Project, & “Unimaginative” Chef — and it only gets worse from there,” Trump wrote.
‘He’s a RINO in disguise!’ he lamented, ‘whose poll numbers are falling like a stone. Good luck Ron!’
The listing of some established Republicans such as former House Speaker Paul Ryan and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was an attempt for Trump to further associate DeSantis with a “Republican in name only,” leading to RINO was abbreviated.
Trump called DeSantis a “RINO in disguise” in the latest attack and repeated his offensive nickname for the Florida governor: “DeSanctimonious.”
But in an interview with the New York Post, the governor laughed at the nicknames.
He recalled a time as a teenager showing up for baseball practice at the field used by the Toronto Blue Jays for spring training.
“The Blue Jays had spring training games at 1 a.m. and we got to practice at 4 a.m. and the pros left,” DeSantis said, adding that the big leagues often teased high schoolers.
“We had our names on the lockers and sometimes the pros would change the spelling of our names to make bad words,” he explained.
When asked if he was ever changed into DeSanctimonious, he laughed.
‘NO. There weren’t enough letters to be able to do that. I don’t know if anyone can even spell that.”
Trump has rolled out a number of new insults for DeSantis in recent months. But in an interview with the New York Post, the governor laughed at the nicknames
He has also reportedly nicknamed him “Shutdown Ron” due to his state’s brief economic and social lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
DeSantis had seen his star rise during the pandemic as a vocal opponent of the Biden administration’s health policies, from vaccinations to distance learning.
He’s quickly becoming a viable alternative for Republican voters who appreciated Trump’s policies but found the man himself too bombastic and divisive.
But like most governors, DeSantis oversaw early pandemic restrictions when COVID-19 became a serious concern in the United States in March 2020. He tightened restrictions in Broward and Palm Beach counties, closing their beaches — something Trump has been quick to bring up in recent weeks.
Trump told CNN on his plane last month that DeSantis was trying to “rewrite” his administration’s history during the pandemic.
DeSantis hasn’t officially declared his intention to run for president, but his refusal to rule out a possible primary challenge for Trump has infuriated the former president.
And in addition to his allegedly derogatory nicknames thrown behind closed doors, Trump has stepped up his colorful attacks on governors in public as well.
He has referred to him as “Ron DeSanctimonious” multiple times in recent weeks, a nickname Trump debuted just before the midterm elections, which earned him criticism from fellow Republicans for shooting in the tent.
Trump has also used his Truth Social platform to spread rumors that DeSantis partied with underage girls while working as a teacher at a Georgia high school.
He re-shared a follower’s post with a picture of what was said to be a young DeSantis with three girls around him, their faces blurred.
“Ron DeSantis gave his students a ‘drinking’ party when he was a high school teacher. Drinking and cuddling with underage girls definitely looks pretty disgusting and ephebophilic,” the post reads.
Trump commented, “No way?”
“It’s not Ron, is it? He would never do such a thing!’ he added in a separate post.
DeSantis won 53 percent of the Republican poll vote in a hypothetical head-to-head primary, while Trump scored just 40 percent
DeSantis won 53 percent of the Republican poll vote in a hypothetical head-to-head primary, while Trump scored just 40 percent. The survey was conducted from January 26th to February 2nd.
For now, Trump remains a leading figure within the GOP and wields tremendous influence over primary voters.
Still, the field of Republican presidential candidates is beginning to widen as its former UN ambassador Nikki Haley announces her candidacy. Polls suggest GOP voters are open to backing anyone other than Trump.
More moderate challengers like former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan could soon emerge. Trump’s Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo could run. South Carolina Senator Tim Scott is planning a visit to Iowa, fueling speculation about his political future.