Former President Donald Trump is privately complaining to aides that Florida Gov. Ron DeSandis stole the spotlight, according to a new Rolling Stone report. Two sources close to Trump told Rolling Stone that the former president has told close aides that he fears DeSantis is trying to take the spotlight away from him. In particular, Trump was concerned about the political stunt DeSantis pulled last week when he chartered two planes to bring 50 immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard. The migrants, who were living in a shelter in San Antonio, were tricked into boarding the plane, thinking they were going to Boston, according to Reuters. The stunt has earned DeSantis stern rebukes from Democratic lawmakers and approval from the GOP’s right wing. For his part, DeSantis claimed the migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard “hit the jackpot” and said he plans to continue flying migrants to other states. Trump suspects DeSantis timed the Martha’s Vineyard stunt to boost his profile with GOP voters, sources told Rolling Stone. The former president is also upset that DeSantis is taking credit for the stunt, which he claims is his “idea.” Trump has repeatedly criticized the suggestion that DeSantis might run on the 2024 GOP presidential ticket. In July, Trump criticized Fox & Friends for reporting on polls that showed DeSantis ahead of him, blaming the show’s hosts that they “went to the dark side.” This month, Trump took a swipe at DeSantis, sharing an Insider story about his poll lead over DeSantis through the Save America political action committee. DeSantis, meanwhile, is bolstering his own profile. In July, he launched a fundraising blitz that bore a resemblance to the Trump card, selling his own gold “Florida First Fighter” card. Among DeSantis’ high-profile supporters are podcast host Joe Rogan, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and billionaire and Trump donor Peter Thiel. DeSantis and Trump are the main contenders for the 2024 Republican presidential ticket, though neither has officially declared to enter the race. In July, a spokesperson for DeSantis told Insider that DeSantis remains “focused on Florida and running for re-election as governor this year.” Reps for DeSantis and Trump did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
