Gov. Ron DeSantis is renowned for finding creative ways to get under his opponents' skin. Sometimes he does it overtly — such as dumping migrants in Martha’s Vineyard or California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s backyard — and other times he takes more subtle tactics, such as when he signed an anti-Covid-19 vaccine mandate in Brandon, Fla., in a nod to President Joe Biden’s derisive nickname. From suspending state prosecutors to his feud with Disney World, DeSantis’ political ploys or stunts against liberals not only netted him national headlines, but shocked and enraged his opponents. “DeSantis and his team have, through the last couple of years, figured out clever ways to stay in the news, to boost DeSantis’ name recognition and to attract potential Republican primary voters,” said Aubrey Jewett, an associate professor of political science at the University of Central Florida, in an interview. So now that DeSantis is in the biggest battle of his political career, why hasn’t former President Donald Trump been the target of his trolls? Pre-presidential campaign, DeSantis certainly found ways to trigger the ex-president:
- He held an anti-COVID vaccine roundtable in Palm Beach, near Mar-a-Lago.
- He spoke before fawning conservatives at Trump National Doral in Miami as rumors swirled about how Trump would take it.
- During an official event, he praised a conservative lawyer who represented Dominion Voting Machines in its defamation lawsuit against MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.
- After Trump canceled a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, citing inclement weather, DeSantis made a stop nearby and remarked that it was a “beautiful” evening.
Some of the actions went over many people’s heads, but Trump would fume in response, including by lashing out aggressively on Truth Social. Yet ever since the DeSantis campaign launched almost three months ago, Trump has successfully trolled DeSantis more than the other way around. It could be that Trump is just the wrong target for DeSantis' approach. The governor may be concerned about isolating Trump’s supporters, Jewett said. It could also be that while DeSantis is good at trolling, Trump is better. Trump doesn't seem to worry about how low he can go, Jewett said. “He has broken so many traditional political norms that he doesn’t care or worry," he added. "That’s sort of liberating for Trump, but it makes it a little difficult for DeSantis even if he were to try.” Trump’s campaign seems to agree with this assessment, and keeping in the theme of subtle jabs, they dug at DeSantis’ baseball-star background when asked for comment. “There’s a difference between the major leagues and the minor league,” said Steven Cheung, Trump campaign spokesman. “President Trump is playing at an MVP level in the majors while DeSantis is whiffing at tee ball.” Five months remain until the Iowa Caucuses, so maybe DeSantis’ will needle Trump anew. Asked whether DeSantis would launch political stunts against Trump, similar to what he had in the past, the DeSantis campaign pushed back, instead calling the governor “the most diligent and effective conservative leader in the country.” "It's the left who utilize political stunts to further their unpopular ideological agenda,” press secretary Bryan Griffin said, citing examples such as anti-Florida travel advisories and backlash to book removals in public schools. “As governor, Ron DeSantis has been the most effective leader at pushing back on their agenda and reversing their capture of institutions like the education system.” — WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is doing a virtual press conference with reporters from New England. He’ll also join “Nightside” with Dan Rea on WBZ 1030 AM. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: kleonard@politico.com Good morning and thanks for starting your day with Florida Playbook. I’m Kimberly Leonard, and starting today I’ll be authoring this newsletter. Thank you for the privilege of your time and attention. TALKER — DeSantis scraps Cabinet and clemency meetings that conflict with debate week, by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout: The meeting was called off late Friday, according to an email that went out from the DeSantis administration to the three Cabinet offices and obtained by POLITICO. The governor’s office and members of the Cabinet — three statewide elected officials who are Republicans — did not give any reasons as to why the meeting was canceled. | 
