Work shopping nicknames

Created
Sun, 05/03/2023 - 10:30
Updated
Sun, 05/03/2023 - 10:30
And dreaming about a new flying car initiative Donald Trump gears up for his campaign: Holed up at his resort in Palm Beach, Florida, former President Donald Trump spends many mornings golfing and then, in the afternoons, plots his political comeback. Maybe he’ll shoot videos on policy proposals for his latest presidential campaign. But much of his and his team’s time is spent bemoaning his lack of coverage by Fox News and other cable networks, griping about his 2020 reelection defeat — something he’s very much not letting go — and workshopping new nicknames for his chief rival in GOP politics, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Trump, allies say, seems set on “Ron DeSanctimonious,” even though others around him don’t think it’s a bullseye. Some of the new ideas the former president’s entertained: “Ron DisHonest.” “Ron DeEstablishment.” Or even, “Tiny D.” His team has spent weeks trying to dig up dirt on DeSantis’s record as governor; his wife, Casey, a former television journalist; his year teaching at a boarding school in Georgia and his record as a member of Congress, including support for raising the US retirement age and partly privatizing Medicare as part of then-Speaker Paul Ryan’s conservative budget plan. Yet while Trump’s competitors for the nomination — announced and unannounced — spend their time traveling to key primary states, courting wealthy donors and lining up top staff, the former president’s more lackadaisical approach has concerned some allies. He has acknowledged the criticism, telling supporters at recent events that his…