Ron DeSantis just delivered a crushing blow to Trump’s top pick that has MAGA world seeing red

The gloves are officially off in Florida.

What started as whispered tensions in Tallahassee backrooms just exploded into an all-out political war.

And Ron DeSantis just delivered a crushing blow to Trump’s top pick that has MAGA world seeing red.

DeSantis Passes Over Trump-Endorsed Candidate in Stunning Power Play

Governor Ron DeSantis made a calculated political statement Wednesday that sent shockwaves through Republican circles when he appointed state Senator Blaise Ingoglia as Florida’s new Chief Financial Officer – completely snubbing President Trump’s handpicked choice, Joe Gruters.¹

The move represents the most public escalation yet in a long-simmering feud between DeSantis and Gruters that political insiders have been watching for months.

But DeSantis didn’t just pass over the Trump-endorsed candidate – he absolutely eviscerated Gruters’ conservative credentials in the process.

At the press conference announcing Ingoglia’s appointment, DeSantis unleashed a devastating political takedown that left no doubt about his feelings toward the Sarasota Senator.

The Governor accused Gruters of having a “linguini spine” and declared he wouldn’t appoint him even if George Washington himself rose from the dead to request it.²

https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1945486643374575935

“If George Washington rose from the dead and came back and tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Will you appoint Joe Gruters CFO?’ my response would be, no, I can’t do that without betraying the voters that elected me,” DeSantis said with characteristic bluntness.³

Trump’s Team Declares War After DeSantis Snub

The political ramifications were immediate and explosive. Chris LaCivita, one of Trump’s 2024 campaign managers, fired back with a declaration that should make DeSantis think twice about his strategy.

“We will work to defeat any poser that stands in our way,” LaCivita said.⁴

Tony Fabrizio, Trump’s longtime pollster, delivered an even more pointed message to DeSantis, warning that the Governor’s decision “will be viewed as a direct rebuke to the MAGA agenda.”⁵

But perhaps the most ominous warning came from an unnamed senior White House official who told reporters that while Trump hasn’t taken a “hard line” against Ingoglia yet, that could change quickly. “If we want to beat Blaise, we will beat him,” the official stated matter-of-factly.⁶

The Conservative Credentials Comparison That Started This War

DeSantis didn’t just reject Gruters – he systematically dismantled his conservative record in front of the cameras.

https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1945500162962370864

The Governor highlighted a stark contrast between his appointee Ingoglia, whom he called “the most conservative senator in the state of Florida,” and Gruters’ voting record that DeSantis portrayed as disappointingly moderate.⁷

The most damaging accusation centered on education reform.

DeSantis pointed to landmark legislation that held teacher unions accountable for their partisan activism – a bill that Ingoglia sponsored but Gruters voted against.

“We did landmark legislation to hold teacher unions accountable for their partisan activism. It was a huge achievement for Republicans. Joe Gruters sided with the teacher unions rather than side with conservatives,” DeSantis declared, his frustration barely contained.⁸

DeSantis also blasted Gruters for supporting a constitutional amendment that would have decriminalized marijuana for recreational use – a position that put the Senator at odds with the Governor’s hard-line conservative stance.

“Joe Gruters sided with the mega-weed company, Trulieve, and was joining with liberal Democrats to try to do it,” DeSantis said, painting Gruters as someone willing to abandon conservative principles for special interests.⁹

The Immigration Fight That Broke Their Relationship

Perhaps the most telling moment came when DeSantis revealed the immigration bill controversy that appears to have been the final straw in their deteriorating relationship.

Gruters had crafted legislation – reportedly in consultation with Trump’s White House – that would have stripped immigration enforcement authority away from the Governor’s Office.

DeSantis called it the “terrible amnesty bill” and accused Gruters of trying to undermine everything he’d accomplished on illegal immigration, including the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” detention facility.

https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1945577915011457371

“He was the author and architect of this terrible amnesty bill, which would have made everything I’ve done, including Alligator Alcatraz, to help President Trump’s illegal immigration removal agenda illegal in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said.¹⁰

The Governor even claimed the bill would have prevented Florida from protecting its coastline from Haitian migrants – a signature issue for his administration.

Gruters Fights Back With Trump’s Heavy Hitters

Gruters isn’t going down without a fight.

Less than an hour before DeSantis announced his appointment choice, the Sarasota Senator made his own power play by announcing that key members of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign would be joining his 2026 Chief Financial Officer campaign.¹¹

The timing wasn’t accidental – it was a clear message that Trump’s political network remains firmly behind Gruters despite DeSantis’ public humiliation.

Representative Randy Fine summed up the stakes perfectly when he warned DeSantis about the political dangers of taking on Trump in Florida.

 “If Ron DeSantis wants to campaign against Donald Trump again, he clearly didn’t learn after what happened last time,” Fine said.¹²

Looking forward

Both Ingoglia and Gruters are expected to face off in what promises to be one of the most closely watched Republican primaries in the country.

DeSantis is clearly betting that his conservative credentials and gubernatorial record will carry more weight with Florida voters than Trump’s endorsement.

But that’s a risky calculation given Trump’s overwhelming popularity in the Sunshine State and his track record of political victories there.

The Governor tried to downplay Trump’s personal involvement, claiming the President never directly lobbied him about the CFO appointment. “He said we’ve got a great relationship. He’s never once mentioned this to me and all the times I’ve spoken with him over these months,” DeSantis insisted.¹³

But Trump’s political team is clearly taking this personally, and they’re not known for backing down from a fight.

This isn’t just about one Cabinet appointment – it’s about the future direction of the Republican Party in Florida and whether DeSantis can maintain his political independence in Trump’s orbit.

The August 2026 primary will be the ultimate test of which brand of Republican politics dominates America’s most important swing state.

One thing is certain: the battle lines are drawn, and neither side is showing any signs of backing down. Florida Republicans better buckle up – this is going to be a long, brutal political war.

¹ Jacob Ogles, “Simmering feud between Ron DeSantis, Joe Gruters blasts into full view,” Florida Politics, July 16, 2025.

² Ibid.

³ Ibid.

⁴ Carl Gibson, “’We will beat him’: Trump’s feud with Ron DeSantis may have just been reignited,” AlterNet, July 16, 2025.

⁵ Ibid.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ Alex Nitzberg, “DeSantis taps Florida’s ‘most conservative senator’ for state CFO,” Fox News, July 17, 2025.

⁸ Ogles, “Simmering feud between Ron DeSantis, Joe Gruters blasts into full view.”

⁹ Ibid.

¹⁰ Ibid.

¹¹ Amber Jo Cooper, “DeSantis appoints state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia as new Florida chief financial officer,” Florida’s Voice, July 16, 2025.

¹² Gibson, “’We will beat him’: Trump’s feud with Ron DeSantis may have just been reignited.”

¹³ Ogles, “Simmering feud between Ron DeSantis, Joe Gruters blasts into full view.”