After more than a year of savaging DeSantis, Trump 'honored' to be endorsed by governor

Donald Trump's campaign said it was "honored" to be endorsed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who suspended his campaign Sunday, as the former president said he would no longer call the governor by the mocking nickname "Ron DeSanctimonious."

The brief note Sunday followed in the the governor's announcement. The statement read: "With only a few days left until President Donald J. Trump’s victory in New Hampshire, we are honored by the endorsement from Governor Ron DeSantis and so many other former presidential candidates."

Trump's campaign added that "it is now time for all Republicans to rally behind President Trump." At the moment, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley remains the only one of the initial close-to-a-dozen Republicans who sought the GOP nomination remaining as a challenger to Trump.

Later, while speaking in Rochester, N.H., Trump "congratulated" the governor and complimented Florida first lady Casey DeSantis.

"He ran a really good campaign. I will tell you it's not easy," Trump told those attending his rally. "But as you know, he left the campaign trail today, at 3 p.m., and in so doing he was very gracious and he endorsed me. I appreciate that. And I also look forward with Ron and everybody else to defeat Crooked Joe Biden."

Earlier, Trump told a crowd that the derisive nickname "DeSanctimonious" was now "officially retired" to loud cheers.

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One Florida ally of DeSantis immediately called for unity around Trump's candidacy.

"As Republicans we must all rally behind President Donald J. Trump. Let’s stop the infighting and unite behind a strong leader that will turn this country around!" wrote a post by state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Spring Hill Republican and former chairman of the Florida Republican GOP.

Commentary from Trump's supporters ranged from appreciative to gracious to taunting.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who endorsed Trump last November, posted: "Florida is all in for President Trump!"

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Pensacola Republican who is one of Trump's most vocal backers on Capitol Hill, shared on social media a photo of himself with DeSantis and simply the words "thank you."

Taylor Budowich, CEO of Make America Great Again Inc., praised DeSantis saying he "made the right decision today to drop out and get behind President Donald Trump."

Trump campaign manager Susie Wiles, a former DeSantis campaign aide, responded to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, foreshadowing his departure from the race saying "Bye, bye."

With DeSantis out, Trump campaign zeroes in on Nikki Haley

Trump's campaign took aim at Haley, who served as U.N. ambassador in Trump's administration in its statement saying "Nikki Haley is the candidate of the globalists and Democrats who will do everything to stop the America First movement."

The muted response to DeSantis' exit from the 2024 race was a sharp contrast to more than a year's worth of savaging of the governor by the former president.

Trump dubbed DeSantis as "DeSanctimonious" in November 2022, just days before that year's midterm elections and as Trump readied to announce his 2024 presidential comeback campaign. Trump took on blowback for ridiculing his one-time political ally, who won a decisive reelection that fall, and the former president shelved his attacks until early 2023.

It was then that Trump began unleashing fierce salvos singularly aimed at DeSantis, who did not officially enter the race until May, despite what by the spring of last year was a broad field of other suitors for the Republican nomination.

Trump attacked DeSantis mercilessly for "disloyalty" in a seemingly personal fashion

In a speech in West Palm Beach last February, Trump rolled out an early attack strategy in vowing that "under no circumstances will we allow anyone to cut Medicare or Social Security for our nation." In April, Trump's team fired off an ad ridiculing the governor, this one mocking DeSantis' purported habit of scooping pudding with his fingers.

In West Palm Beach, Trump spoke at the Turning Point USA summit and repeated what by then was a stump speech staple, claiming credit for DeSantis' initial gubernatorial win in 2018. As DeSantis' standing in the polls eroded precipitously, Trump raised the intensity of the withering attacks.

Speaking to the Club 47, a Trump fan club, the former president issued this warning last fall to the governor about his political future.

"I think he blew it for in four years. You never know what's going to happen, but in '28, I don't see it happening," Trump said to a crowd of supporters. "I can never forget because that's such great disloyalty."

After winning the Iowa caucus Jan. 15, Trump seemed to give both DeSantis and Haley an off-ramp by congratulating them in what was a seemingly uncharacteristic call for reconciliation and unity.

When DeSantis didn't drop out after Trump decisively won the caucus, the former president again turned up the heat. In a post last week on his social media platform, Trump called DeSantis "very flawed" and said he is "out of money" and "out of hope."

Reporting by Zac Anderson of the USA Today Florida Network was used in this story.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.