'Enthusiastic support': Trump announces 'Meatball' Ron DeSantis has been brought to heel

Former President Donald Trump proudly announced on his Truth Social platform on Monday that his former Republican rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is fully on board with his re-election.

"I am very happy to have the full and enthusiastic support of Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida," wrote Trump. "We had a great meeting yesterday, arranged by mutual friend Steve Witkoff, at his beautiful Shell Bay Club in Hollywood, Florida. The conversation mostly concerned how we would work closely together to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN. Also discussed was the future of Florida, which is FANTASTIC!"

"I greatly appreciate Ron’s support in taking back our Country from the Worst President in the History of the United States," the former president added. "November 5th is a BIG DAY!!!"

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DeSantis was once seen as a major threat to Trump's re-nomination for the GOP ticket, with some early polls showing him ahead. However, as the campaign unfolded, DeSantis collapsed rapidly in the polls, which experts tied to a number of missteps by his campaign, and Trump's relentless attacks on the man he once put in the governor's mansion in Tallahassee with his endorsement.

Among other things, Trump attacked DeSantis with a number of nicknames, like "Meatball Ron," "DeSanctus," and "DeSanctimonious." He slammed DeSantis for how he handled the COVID-19 pandemic and accused DeSantis of plotting to defund Social Security and Medicare. And he declared war on prominent Republicans who endorsed him, even calling for the ouster of Rep. Laurel Lee, the only member of Congress in Florida to have endorsed DeSantis' campaign.

Ultimately, DeSantis, who was running on a similar platform to the former president, dropped out of the race, leaving former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley as the final major challenger to Trump. She dropped out after a weak showing in the Super Tuesday contests, but continues to receive protest votes in many of the ongoing Republican primaries, like in Pennsylvania.