Trump taunts 'Ron DeSanctimonious' hours after DeSantis defends former president
WASHINGTON (TND) — Former President Donald Trump attacked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday, even after DeSantis called the investigation into Trump a politically motivated weaponization of a district attorney's office that he thinks is "fundamentally wrong."
In a post to his Truth Social account on Monday, following DeSantis's comments, Trump shared a screenshot of a MeidasTouch article claiming the Florida governor "partied with underage girls at drinking party while teaching at a Georgia school."
Ron DeSanctimonious will probably find out about FALSE ACCUSATIONS & FAKE STORIES sometime in the future, as he gets older, wiser, and better known, when he’s unfairly and illegally attacked by a woman, even classmates that are “underage” (or possibly a man!)," Trump said in his post. "I’m sure he will want to fight these misfits just like I do!"
A New York grand jury is possibly set to indict Trump over an investigation into alleged hush money that was paid to pornstar Stormy Daniels during the former president's 2016 campaign.
On Saturday, Trump himself said he expects to be arrested sometime in the following week, possibly Tuesday, as a result of the investigation. He called upon supporters to protest his possible imminent arrest.
When Desantis was asked about the potential indictment of former President Trump, he called it a "manufactured circus" and that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg should instead place his time and effort into ridding New York City of actual crime.
However, DeSantis also seemingly took a shot at Trump over the alleged hush money paid to Daniels.
Look... I don't know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair... I can't speak to that," DeSantis said. "I've got real issues to deal with here in the state of Florida."
Several took apparent offense to DeSantis's remarks on Trump's potential indictment and arrest. Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., called DeSantis's comments "pure weakness" in a tweet.
So DeSantis thinks that Dems weaponizing the law to indict President Trump is a 'manufactured circus' & isn't a 'real issue," Trump Jr. said. "Pure weakness. Now we know why he was silent all weekend. He's totally owned by Karl Rove, Paul Ryan & his billionaire donors. 100% Controlled Opposition."
Former Trump White House chief strategist Steve Bannon responded to DeSantis's remarks by saying the Florida governor was "better than this."
That was a weasel approach. Don't throw anything about the pornstar. I don't need to hear it from you," Bannon said on his TV show "War Room."
MyPillow founder and CEO Mike Lindell was on Bannon's "War Room" show at the time Bannon made his comments about DeSantis, and added that DeSantis "is the Trojan horse we thought he was."
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is the one reportedly set to indict Trump over the hush money allegations, has already said his office will "not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York," according to CNN.
Trump's lawyer and spokesperson has said that there has been no communication from prosecutors, the Associated Press reports, but that didn't stop Trump from declaring on his social media that he soon expects to be taken into custody.
In apparent response to the potential for protests, steel barricades were unloaded and placed outside the Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday.
Workers could be seen unloading the steel barricades from an NYPD truck and stacking them outside the courthouse. Many online shared photos of the steel barricades, stacked outside the courthouse.
The AP added that an indictment of Trump "would be an extraordinary development after years of investigations into his business, political and personal dealings."
Washington insider Armstrong Williams told The National Desk’s Jan Jeffcoat that he's "pretty confident that Trump will be indicted but not over reasons that people are not talking about."
The bigger kahuna is Mar-a-Lago and the papers, Georgia and the elections and also Jan. 6," Williams said.
As far as protests over the possible indictment and arrest go, while some supporters may be enthusiastic, it seems some GOP leaders are less so.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reportedly said on Sunday that there shouldn't be "violence or harm" over the potential arrest of the former Republican president. "I don’t think people should protest this stuff," McCarthy answered when asked about Trump's possible arrest, according to The Hill.
While Trump’s former Vice President Mike Pence called the potential indictment "deeply troubling," according to The Hill, the publication adds that he also said, "violence will not be tolerated."
We respect the right of Americans to let their voice be heard and to express the frustration over what appears to be a politically motivated prosecution of the former president,” Pence reportedly said. “But we want to send a very clear message that violence will not be tolerated and anyone that would engage in violence would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
