Trump is bitter that DeSantis won't say 'magic words' about not running in 2024: Maggie Haberman

Former President Donald Trump has started taking shots at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whom he sees as a potential rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman's sources claim that Trump has been particularly bitter that DeSantis won't say the "magic words" about pledging not to run for president in 2024, which she speculates has led to him ramping up his criticism of the right-wing Florida governor.

Additionally, writes Haberman, Trump is trying to position himself to get credit for the vaccines in a potential 2024 matchup.

"Trump is not only positioning himself to get credit for a vaccine he once demanded it for, but he is trying to make DeSantis look like a 'typical pol' who won’t be straightforward," she writes.

READ MORE: Ron DeSantis' office denies Trump called Florida governor 'gutless'

Trump took a veiled shot at DeSantis this week when he called out "gutless" politicians who won't say whether they've received COVID-19 booster shots.

Polls currently show Trump as the overwhelming favorite among Republican primary voters to be their party's 2024 nominee despite the fact that he lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden by more than 7 million votes, while also losing in longtime GOP strongholds such as Arizona and Georgia.