Mr. Trump disparaged his erstwhile political neophyte, calling him a "average" governor who lacked "loyalty."
In Tuesday's midterm elections, Mr. DeSantis, 44, easily won re-election, solidifying his position as the most promising rising star in the Republican party.
He is largely anticipated to seek the party's candidacy for president in 2024.
But Mr. Trump, 76, seems more and more likely to get in the way of his plans.
The former president would be a formidable opponent for Mr. DeSantis or any other Republican who dared challenge him. He has a sizable campaign war chest and remains incredibly popular with the party's base.
In a long statement on Thursday night, Mr. Trump disparaged the governor of Florida as a political novice who had approached him in "desperate shape" in 2017 when he was seeking re-election to his first term in office.
Ron had a low popularity rating, poor poll numbers, and no money, but he said he could win with my endorsement, according to Mr. Trump. I also overhauled his campaign, which had totally disintegrated.
He continued by saying that Mr. DeSantis, whom he has given the nickname "Ron DeSanctimonious," was "playing games" by not announcing his intention to run for president.
Well, that's really not the correct response in terms of loyalty and class, Mr. Trump said.
The former president is anticipated to reveal his own strategy for returning to the White House as early as next week.
The Republicans' underwhelming showing in the midterm elections has been attributed to Mr. Trump, while Mr. DeSantis is basking in the glory of his reelection victory.
It came down to the wire in the contest for control of the House of Representatives and Senate. The outcome of the race for control of the two chambers of Congress is still up in the air two days after the American electorate cast its ballots.
In 2020, voters overwhelmingly rejected candidates who supported Mr. Trump's unfounded allegations of election fraud, and several of his well-known contenders for office faltered or lost outright.
Even the ex-closest president's associates have urged him to change his mind about the major announcement he has hinted would be made on November 15.
According to one former Trump aide, David Urban, "Republicans have followed Donald Trump down the side of a cliff."
Former Trump press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told Fox News, "I think he ought to put it [his campaign announcement] on hold."
Contrarily, Mr. DeSantis' victory over Charlie Crist, a Democrat, by 20 points has received unanimous praise from right critics.
His victory margin in Miami-Dade county, which has historically been a Democratic bastion, was the highest for a Republican in forty years.
In a study conducted by Ipsos in October, 72% of Republicans who identify as such believed that Mr. DeSantis ought to have a significant or positive impact on the party's future. Regarding Mr. Trump, 76, 64% of respondents agreed.
On Thursday, the governor didn't immediately respond to Mr. Trump's jabs.
BBC
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