Trump Attacks DeSantis as He Hints Again at Presidential Run

(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump suggested an announcement that he plans to make another White House bid is imminent and attacked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at a rally in Pennsylvania, a sign the former president is training his ire on a potential chief rival in a 2024 GOP primary.

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Trump is tentatively planning to announce his 2024 campaign during the week after US midterm elections, people familiar with the matter have told Bloomberg. DeSantis is widely considered his most formidable opponent in the Republican primary field.

The former president on Saturday repeated a boast that he’s leading by far in surveys for the GOP nomination. He flashed poll results on the giant screens at the rally showing him ahead of potential 2024 GOP candidates -- including DeSantis, who Trump called “Ron De-sanctimonious.”

Trump will be at another pre-election rally on Sunday in Florida but without DeSantis, who is holding separate events as he seeks re-election on Tuesday. The former president has been increasingly jabbing DeSantis in tandem with teasing a 2024 run.

Egged on by the crowd at the rally in Latrobe, the former president stopped short of saying he’s making another White House bid in 2024 during a pre-election rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday night though he suggested an announcement is imminent.

“Everybody, I promise you, in the very next, very, very, very short period of time, you’re going to be so happy,” Trump said, suggesting that he’d like to announce he’s running but wanted the focus to remain on US Senate candidate Mehmet Oz and his other endorsed candidates.

Trump has been hinting for months that he’s decided to run again and that the only question is when he’ll announce it. Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s former senior counselor, said at a Nov. 3 event, “I think you can expect him to announce soon.”

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