Former President Donald Trump revealed Tuesday that he voted to re-elect Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — days after labeling his potential 2024 White House rival “DeSanctimonious” at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
“Yes, I did,” Trump said as he emerged from a Palm Beach polling booth and was asked if he’d backed the 44-year-old GOP governor.
The 45th president — who was flanked by his wife, Melania, as they cast their votes — predicted the midterm elections would be a “great night” for Republicans.
Trump also doubled down on his Monday tease that he’ll be making a “very big announcement” from his Mar-a-Lago estate next week.
“I think Tuesday will be a very exciting day for a lot of people and I look forward to seeing you at Mar-a-Lago,” Trump told reporters outside the polling booth.
A day earlier, the former commander-in-chief had told an Ohio rally audience to expect the announcement — even though some Trump insiders were anticipating him using that event to officially launch his 2024 bid for the White House.
Speculation was rife the rally would be Trump’s campaign kickoff given several members of the former president’s family — including his two oldest sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, and their significant others, Kimberly Guilfoyle and Lara Trump — were in attendance.
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“I’m going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at Mar-a-Lago, Florida,” Trump told supporters.
“We want nothing to detract from the importance of tomorrow,” he added, referring to the Nov. 8 vote.
Meanwhile, Trump’s vote for DeSantis on Tuesday came just two days after he urged supporters to also back the Florida governor — despite the former president’s jab a day earlier.
During a rally for Pennsylvania Republican candidates outside Pittsburgh, Trump started reading off the names of hopefuls who might challenge him for the GOP nomination in 2024.
“We’re winning big, big, big in the Republican Party for the nomination like nobody’s ever seen before,” Trump told rally-goers.
“There it is, Trump at 71 [%]. Ron DeSanctimonious at 10%. Mike Pence at 7 — oh, Mike Pence doing better than I thought.”
Trump’s quip drew immediate backlash from conservatives who accused him of undermining the GOP cause so close to the midterms.
DeSantis, who has become a national figure among Republicans since his insistence on keeping Florida businesses and schools open during the COVID-19 pandemic, is heavily favored to win re-election over Democratic former Rep. Charlie Crist, who was Florida’s Republican governor between 2007 and 2011.