Trump warns Ron DeSantis ‘if he runs, he could hurt himself badly’

Former president Donald Trump continued his needling of his likely 2024 rival Ron DeSantis, telling Fox News that a run might hurt the Florida governor. Mr Trump spoke with Fox on his airplane for an exclusive interview and said that he had no ‘tiff’ with Mr DeSantis but said it would be a ‘mistake’ to run. ‘I don’t know if he is running. I think if he runs, he could hurt himself very badly. I really believe he could hurt himself badly,’ Mr Trump said. ‘I think he would be making a mistake, I think the base would not like it – I don’t think it would be good for the party.’ Mr DeSantis won the Republican nomination for governor in 2018 largely on actively appearing on Fox News and courting Mr Trump’s endorsement, which the then-president gave. Since his narrow victory in 2018, Mr DeSantis has become a hero to conservatives for mostly keeping the state of Florida open despite public health recommendations.