US election: Trump tears into rising Republican rival DeSantis - BBC

Ex-US President Donald Trump has lashed retired astatine Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, arsenic the simmering rivalry betwixt the 2 apical Republicans boiled over.

Mr Trump belittled his erstwhile governmental apprentice arsenic an "average" governor, lacking successful "loyalty".

Mr DeSantis, 44, won re-election successful a landslide successful Tuesday's midterms, sealing his presumption arsenic the Republican party's brightest rising star.

He is wide expected to tally for the party's 2024 White House nomination.

But Mr Trump, 76, looks progressively apt to basal successful his way.

The erstwhile president - who has a monolithic run warfare thorax and remains hugely fashionable with the party's basal - would beryllium a formidable hostile for Mr DeSantis, oregon immoderate different Republican who dares situation him.

In a lengthy connection connected Thursday night, Mr Trump dismissed the Florida politician arsenic a governmental lightweight who had travel to him "in hopeless shape" erstwhile moving for his archetypal word successful bureau successful 2017.

"Ron had debased approval, atrocious polls, and nary money, but helium said that if I would Endorse [sic] him, helium could win," Mr Trump said. "I besides fixed his campaign, which had wholly fallen apart."

He went connected to kick that Mr DeSantis - whom helium is nicknaming "Ron DeSanctimonious" - was "playing games" by refusing to regularisation retired a statesmanlike bid.

"Well, successful presumption of loyalty and class, that's truly not the close answer," Mr Trump added.

The erstwhile president is wide expected to denote his ain program for a White House comeback arsenic soon arsenic adjacent week.

While Mr DeSantis is bathing successful the glow of his re-election victory, Mr Trump has been blamed for the Republicans' disappointing show successful the midterm elections.

The contention for power of the House of Representatives and Senate went down to the wire. Two days aft Americans went to the polls, it remains unclear which enactment volition power the duplicate chambers of Congress.

Voters by and ample rejected candidates who backed Mr Trump's baseless claims of predetermination fraud successful 2020, and galore of his high-profile picks for bureau struggled oregon mislaid outright.

Even adjacent allies of the ex-president person called for him to reconsider what helium has teased to beryllium a large announcement connected 15 November.

"Republicans person followed Donald Trump disconnected the broadside of a cliff," 1 erstwhile Trump adviser, David Urban, told the New York Times.

"I deliberation helium needs to enactment it [his run announcement] connected pause," Kayleigh McEnany, Trump's erstwhile property secretary, told Fox News.

Mr DeSantis' 20-point triumph implicit his Democratic rival Charlie Crist has, by contrast, drawn cosmopolitan acclaim from blimpish commentators.

His borderline of triumph successful Miami-Dade region - traditionally a Democratic stronghold - was the largest won by a Republican successful 4 decades.

According to an October Ipsos poll, 72% of registered Republicans said Mr DeSantis should person a large woody oregon bully magnitude of power connected the aboriginal of the party. Some 64% said the aforesaid of Mr Trump, 76.

The politician did not instantly respond to Mr Trump's jibes connected Thursday.