Like sand through the hourglass, so too is the retraction of insults of former President Donald Trump. After criticizing, demeaning, bullying, and insulting Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), Trump called him a “great person” less than 24 hours after DeSantis dropped out of the Republican presidential primary and endorsed Trump.
“Before we begin, I’d like to take time to congratulate Ron DeSantis, and of course, a really terrific person. I’ve gotten to know his wife Casey and having run a great campaign for president,” Trump said at a campaign event. “He did. He ran a really good campaign. I will tell you, it’s not easy — they think it’s easy doing this stuff, right? It’s not easy. But as you know, he left the campaign trail today at 3 p.m. In doing so, he was very gracious, and he endorsed me. So I appreciate it.”
The toned-down rhetoric comes nearly a year after a political feud between the two. Often calling the governor “DeSanctimonious,” many of Trump’s supporters initially loved DeSantis before he declared a presidential campaign, then turned on him after it was realized DeSantis could be a threat to Trump’s campaign success. As it turned out, it was all for naught. The criticisms and claims of disloyalty were little more than performative politics in the heat of battle.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
It was the second such reversal from Trump in less than a week. Previously, Trump slammed Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, calling him “sly” and “deceitful.” Later, after Ramaswamy dropped out, Trump heaped praise on him.
One thing to take from all of this is realizing how easily voters can be manipulated through a cult of personality. This is something that is not exclusive to Trump as supporters of former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and former President Bill Clinton were manipulated and acted the same way. I suppose it’s the nature of the beast and humanity’s penchant for factions and political tribalism. Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean it’s an admirable trait for anyone to have.