Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) alleged former President Donald Trump’s recent comments are proof that the governor is seen as a threat.

DeSantis appeared on the Steve Deace Show on Thursday and reacted to Trump’s interview on the Sirius XM Megyn Kelly Show, which was the first between the two in seven years. During the interview, Trump lamented he didn’t get enough credit for what he did to combat COVID-19 with his program Operation Warp Speed. The plan included quickly facilitating COVID-19 vaccines, for which Dr. Anthony Fauci would go on to receive a presidential commendation for.

TRUMP SAYS BIDEN IS NOT ‘TOO OLD’ FOR 2024 REELECTION BUT IS ‘GROSSLY INCOMPETENT’

“Megyn asked him about it, and he said, like, ‘What was that?'” DeSantis said of the interview. “Was that the immaculate commendation that just happened to happen? It said, ‘Donald Trump awards Fauci this commendation.’ So I thought it was really pathetic to sit there and listen to that drivel. It is totally false.”

Trump would go on to claim Florida had vaccine mandates and a bad lockdown model. When DeSantis was asked about these comments, he smiled and sighed.

“First, I think it’s important to say that is different from what Donald Trump used to say. He used to praise Florida for having been open. He used to say I was one of the country’s great governors. He said we handled COVID correctly and brilliantly,” DeSantis said. “He was on record, always saying that. Now, because I’m a threat to him, that’s when he’s now changing his tune.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

DeSantis’s office did not institute vaccine mandates, with the governor going as far as to implement protections for employees from employers implementing mandates of their own. Instead, DeSantis issued a statement Thursday recommending that those under 65 do not receive the vaccine’s latest booster.

Trump is the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination in the 2024 election, with DeSantis trailing in second place.