Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is “very forgiving” of past primary opponents who have since endorsed him in the 2024 race.
During a stop at a polling location in Londonderry, New Hampshire, Trump was asked if he forgives the former candidates who competed against him, particularly Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), who was the main target of Trump’s campaign and super PAC.
“I do,” Trump answered.
“I try,” he said. “I’m a very forgiving person.”
The comments come after DeSantis threatened to veto a bill in the Florida legislature that would allow taxpayer funds to pay for Trump’s legal expenses. Republican Trump endorser state Sen. Ileana Garcia introduced the bill, Grants for Victims of Political Discrimination, which would authorize up to $5 million to be granted to a qualified person, but DeSantis came out against the bill on Monday that would have helped his former GOP rival.
In the past few weeks, Trump received endorsements from DeSantis, Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, with several of them coming to campaign with him in New Hampshire.
“That’s a group of great people,” Trump told a New Hampshire crowd of Ramaswamy, Scott, and Burgum, who joined him onstage. “You’ll be seeing a lot of them.”
Asked Tuesday whether he’s considering DeSantis for vice president, Trump said he can’t comment.
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Following DeSantis’s campaign suspension and Trump endorsement, Trump told reporters the “DeSanctimonious” nickname he’s branded the Florida governor with was “retired.”
Trump is favored to win in New Hampshire on Tuesday, where he was 20 points above Haley in the last measure. He leads Haley by an even larger margin in South Carolina next month and is promised a win in the Nevada Republican caucuses where Haley is not in contention for delegates.