By Jonathan Allen, Allan Smith and Ali Vitali -
NBC News
WASHINGTON — The political world waited over the weekend for Ron DeSantis to rule on the possible indictment of Donald Trump.
And then he waited.
And waited a little longer.
Meanwhile, Trump's supporters and acolytes on social media took it out on DeSantis, pointing to his silence as complicity - or at least indifference - to the persecution of Trump, the leader of the Republican Party (GOP, for its acronym in English) for part of New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Behind the scenes, Trump aides fanned the flames, took aim at the Florida governor in press releases and cheered as influencers from around the Trump world pummeled him on Twitter and Truth Social.
[Trump assures that he will be arrested on Tuesday and calls on his followers to prevent it]
When DeSantis finally spoke Monday at a news conference in Tallahassee, Florida, he fired at Bragg — and at Trump.
“Circus” and “Soros,” DeSantis said of the grand jury investigation and of George Soros, the billionaire liberal donor.
“Dirty money” and “porn star,” he added, repeating the accusation against Trump.
“I don't know what's going to happen, but I do know this: The Manhattan DA is a Soros-funded prosecutor,” he said, accusing Bragg of setting up his office to go after Trump while overlooking other crimes.
Soros, through the Color of Change PAC [a progressive non-profit organization for the defense of civil rights in the United States], supported Bragg's electoral campaign.
But DeSantis added: “I don't know what's behind paying money to a porn star to ensure silence about some kind of alleged affair.
I can not talk about that".
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That's when all hell broke loose in the fight for the Republican Party's 2024 presidential nomination, signaling the beginning of the political arms race that Trump has been trying to ignite since DeSantis emerged as his main rival last year.
Trump published in Truth Social that it would be unfair if DeSantis were attacked for
grooming
[harassment of an adult on a minor in order to gradually gain his trust and then engage him in sexual activity] or for being gay.
Trump's post didn't leave much to the imagination: It included a photo of a man, supposedly a younger DeSantis, standing with a group of young women, one of whom is holding a bottle.
[On tour in Iowa, DeSantis attacks Biden and Trump for their handling of COVID-19]
“Ron DeSanctimonious will likely find out about the FALSE ALLEGATIONS AND FALSE STORIES at some point in the future, as he grows older, wiser and more well known, when he is unfairly and illegally targeted by women, even female classmates who are 'underage' (or possibly a male!),” Trump wrote.
“I'm sure he'll want to fight these misfits just like me!” he pointed out.
The image comes from a 2021 blog post on a website called The Hill Reporter, which reportedly featured a photo of DeSantis with several young women during his brief stint as a high school teacher more than 20 years ago.
NBC News, sister network of Noticias Telemundo, has not confirmed the authenticity of the photo.
Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump. NBC News / Getty Images
The outbreak of open political warfare between the two politicians will have far-reaching consequences for Trump, who leads in most national polls, and DeSantis, who has distinguished himself ahead of the rest of the GOP field without announcing his candidacy.
But the two camps disagree on exactly how the race has been altered.
Trump allies believe DeSantis's silence -- and his decision to directly attack Trump over allegations of an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels -- show he's not ready for prime time.
[Governor Ron DeSantis stomps on Trump's electoral ground by meeting with powerful police unions]
“He just doesn't have it right now, and this weekend he proved it,” said Steve Bannon, the host of the
Bannon's War Room
podcast and a former Trump adviser.
The comment about Daniels, which Trump denies sleeping with, was "a cheap shot from the cheap seats," he said.
DeSantis' press conference was "a disaster," and 10% of Trump's MAGA voters would never vote for DeSantis now, Bannon said.
“Without 100% MAGA, you can't win — ask [Virginia Gov. Glenn] Youngkin,” he added.
Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the third-ranked House Republican, predicted that DeSantis would see a "slip" in his polling numbers after the comments.
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“He's already seen a drop in the last two weeks,” said Stefanik, an early Trump supporter.
“I think President Trump will continue to solidify his position” in the Republican race.
But DeSantis supporters saw the importance of the back and forth in a different light.
“It's already a two-horse race,” said Dan Eberhart, a longtime donor to DeSantis who is endorsing him in the primary.
"The substance of the attacks aside, the fact that Trump is going after DeSantis - and no one else - gives away who he cares about most."
[Ron DeSantis seeks to "turn America into Florida." These controversial bills offer clues as to their intentions]
While Eberhart said other Republicans waiting on the sidelines may have "missed their window" to emerge as contenders for the nomination, he also said the lesson of 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney soaking up President Barack Obama's attacks that summer shouldn't be lost. on DeSantis, who had largely avoided direct confrontation with Trump until Monday.
"DeSantis shouldn't ignore it much longer," Eberhart said.
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Some DeSantis supporters fear that he could be weighed down by Trump's attacks before he announces his candidacy, something he is not expected to do for at least a couple of months.
Former Rep. Keith Rothfus, R-Pennsylvania, who has encouraged DeSantis to run for president, said the legal ramifications Trump faces not only in New York, but also in Georgia and in other ongoing investigations are “ still a big unknown.”
He didn't see a problem with how DeSantis spoke about the matter Monday.
“You can simultaneously criticize what these impeachments are doing and how they undermine the rule of law, how we put double standards on justice…and still look for new leadership that can do the things that we need to do to drain really the swamp and really get this government back on the side of the American people.
It's not a choice," she said.
[Florida joins nearly a dozen states that restrict medical care for trans minors]
“We have to keep going and move into the future,” he added.
Spokesmen for both politicians did not return calls seeking comment Monday.
Trump, who first labeled DeSantis "Ron DeHoly" days before the midterm elections, has attacked him repeatedly in recent months, seeking to provoke a battle.
Last month, Trump drew attention to a photo that appeared to show DeSantis with young women.
This month, the top pro-Trump super PAC filed a complaint with the Florida Ethics Commission accusing DeSantis of violating the law through his “shadow presidential campaign.”
In both cases, DeSantis has kept his response more muted.
After Trump shared the photo, the Florida governor told reporters that he doesn't spend his time "trying to smear other Republicans."
In response to the complaint, Taryn Fenske, his communications director, described it as a "frivolous and politically motivated" attack.
Many elected Republican leaders have come to Trump's defense since he announced Saturday, without evidence, that he expects to be impeached Tuesday.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has clashed with Trump over the January 6 insurrection and is considering a presidential run, joined that group over the weekend.