Trump privately mocked DeSantis as 'Meatball Ron,' report claims

Donald Trump has rolled out some new insults for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as tensions continue to boil between the two potential 2024 rivals, a new report claimed on Sunday.

The former president has taken to calling the young conservative leader 'Meatball Ron' in reference to his appearance during private conversations, people familiar told the New York Times.

He also reportedly now calls him 'Shutdown Ron' over his state's brief economic and social lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In fact, the report suggests Trump and his campaign are making the pandemic a central issue in their attacks against DeSantis.

Trump's allies and staff are busying themselves with looking into any details that would depict DeSantis as a 'phony' over his COVID-19 response, the Times reported.

Donald Trump is so far the only high-profile Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential race

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is being held up as an alternative for people who liked Trump's policies but not his explosive style - though he has not formally gotten into the race

DeSantis had seen his star rise during the pandemic as a vocal opponent to the Biden administration's public health policies, from vaccinations to remote learning.

He's fast becoming a viable alternative for Republican voters who appreciated Trump's policies but found the man himself to be too bombastic and divisive. 

But like most governors, DeSantis did oversee early pandemic restrictions when COVID-19 became a serious issue in the US in March 2020. He made restrictions even stiffer in Broward and Palm Beach counties, shutting down their beaches - which Trump has been quick to bring up in recent weeks.

Trump told CNN on his plane last month that DeSantis was trying to 'rewrite history' on his governing during the pandemic.

DeSantis has not formally declared his intention to run for president, but his refusal to rule out a potential primary challenge to Trump has infuriated the former president. 

And in addition to his reportedly snide nicknames thrown out behind closed doors, Trump has ramped up his trademark colorful attacks against the governors in public as well.

He's knocked him as 'Ron DeSanctimonious' on multiple occasions in recent weeks, a nickname Trump debuted just before the midterm election races which earned him criticism from fellow Republicans for shooting inside the tent.

Just last week, Trump used his Truth Social platform to promote rumors that DeSantis partied with underaged girls while working as a teacher at a Georgia high school. 

He re-shared a follower's post of an image purported to be a young DeSantis, with three girls around him whose faces are blurred out.

'Ron DeSantis was having a "drink" party with his students when he was a high school teacher. Having drinks with underage girls and cuddling with them certainly look pretty gross and ephebophiliaesque,' the post said.

Trump commented: 'No way?'

'That’s not Ron, is it? He would never do such a thing!' he added in a separate post.

But polls comparing the two potential opponents have shown that the contest is still very much up in the air - and that Trump still holds significant sway over the Republican party base.

And when it comes to surveys of a wider net of potential GOP candidates, Trump still appears to hold the lion's share of support. 

One poll released last week by Morning Consult shows the former president still dominating the field with 49 percent support. DeSantis, the runner-up, has 31 percent.

Meanwhile a Monmouth University poll released on Thursday indicates if the 2024 election were held today and just between the two, DeSantis would come out on top.

DeSantis captured 53 percent of the vote from Republican respondents in a hypothetical head-to-head primary race, while Trump netted just 40 percent. The poll was taken January 26 through February 2.