Donald Trump Fires at Ron DeSantis—and Misses

Is the former president losing his touch for catchy nicknames for rivals?

In his keynote address at the Miami National Conservatism Conference on Sept. 11, 2022, Gov. Ron DeSantis highlighted how Florida differs from liberal-run states on quality of life issues including taxes, education and crime. Images: LA Times/Getty Images/Reuters Composite: Mark Kelly

Donald Trump is a savvy showman. The derisive nicknames he coined for his opponents—“Crooked Hillary” (Hillary Clinton), “Pocahontas” (Elizabeth Warren), “Little Marco” (Marco Rubio) stuck because they were funny. But also because these names “pinpoint their vulnerabilities,” what former Obama adviser David Axelrod acknowledges is Mr. Trump’s “diabolical” genius for branding opponents.

Not so the swipe he directed at Ron DeSantis Saturday night. At a rally in Latrobe, Pa., Mr. Trump reserved his most memorable insult of the evening for the most successful Republican governor in the country.

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