Former President Donald Trump lashed out once again at his new 2024 campaign rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—this time for seemingly altering the way he says his name. “Have you heard that ‘Rob’ DeSanctimonious wants to change his name, again?” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, without any official word from the Florida governor. “He is demanding that people call him DeeeSantis, rather than DaSantis. Actually, I like ‘Da’ better, a nicer flow, so I am happy he is changing it. He gets very upset when people, including reporters, don’t pronounce it correctly. Therefore, he shouldn’t mind, DeSanctimonious?” In the past, DeSantis has pronounced his name in a number of variations including “Dee-Santis” which he used regularly during his first congressional campaign in 2012. He has also used “Deh-Santis,” throughout the years, and is used by his wife, Casey according to a 2018 piece in the Tampa Bay Times, but DeSantis has not commented officially. Then-campaign communications director Stephen Lawson conceded at the time “it's also been a little controversial for us on the campaign trail,” adding, “He uses Dee-Santis,” however wife Casey apparently disagreed.
