Ron DeSantis got called out for one stunning case of amnesia that left Fox News viewers scratching their heads

Ron DeSantis has been trying to rewrite history since Donald Trump returned to the White House.

But his latest attempt to whitewash the past backfired spectacularly.

And Ron DeSantis got called out for one stunning case of amnesia that left Fox News viewers scratching their heads.

DeSantis pretends Trump never attacked him during the 2024 primary

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appeared on Fox News’ One Nation with Brian Kilmeade and made a jaw-dropping claim that had viewers doing double-takes.

When Kilmeade mentioned how Trump and DeSantis “went at it pretty hard” during the 2024 Republican primary season, the Florida Governor essentially denied it ever happened.

“I don’t think that’s true, I think that’s just you guys,” DeSantis told Kilmeade with a straight face. “I think we get along great.”

https://twitter.com/Unfilteredboss1/status/1947420668297154698

It was a moment of political amnesia so complete that even seasoned watchers of Washington, D.C. spin were left stunned.

Anyone with a functioning memory knows Trump unleashed a months-long barrage of attacks against his former ally when DeSantis was gearing up to challenge him for the 2024 GOP nomination.

The President didn’t hold back, hitting DeSantis with nickname after nickname in classic Trump fashion.

“Ron DeSanctimonious” became Trump’s go-to moniker for the Florida Governor, appearing in countless Truth Social posts and rally speeches.¹

But Trump didn’t stop there.

Trump wasn’t finished with just one nickname. He rolled out “Ron Dishonest,” “Tiny D,” and “Shutdown Ron” too – that last dig reminding everyone about DeSantis closing down Florida during the early COVID months.²

Trump’s attacks turned vicious

But things got really ugly in February 2023.

Trump dug into old gossip about DeSantis’s teaching days and posted it on Truth Social. The allegations were serious – inappropriate behavior with students when DeSantis was a young history teacher.³

It was vintage Trump warfare. Find the most damaging rumor possible and blast it out to millions of followers.

But perhaps Trump’s most masterful political move was his fake declaration about never using a particular food-based nickname.

“I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “It would be totally inappropriate to use the word ‘meatball’ as a moniker for Ron!”⁴

Classic Trump – denying he would use a nickname while simultaneously planting it in everyone’s head.

The fact that DeSantis is now pretending none of this happened shows just how completely Trump dominated their primary battle.

DeSantis just showed his biggest weakness

Here’s what’s so damaging about DeSantis’s Fox News performance.

He had a chance to look strong. He could have said, “Yeah, we fought hard in the primary – that’s politics. But now we’re working together for America.”

Instead? He pretended the whole thing never happened.

That’s not strength. That’s exactly what cost him the nomination in the first place.

It’s the kind of weak political move that reminds voters why DeSantis couldn’t gain traction against Trump in the first place.

DeSantis launched his presidential bid but pulled the plug after Iowa voters delivered a crushing verdict on his candidacy.⁵

Now he’s back to playing the loyal soldier, telling Kilmeade that he and Trump are “working very constructively” and that their relationship is “really, really good.”

But his attempt to rewrite history shows he still doesn’t understand what went wrong with his campaign.

Instead of demonstrating strength by acknowledging the tough primary battle and showing he can take Trump’s punches, DeSantis chose to pretend it never happened.

Republican voters saw right through that kind of weakness. They wanted someone who could take Trump’s punches and throw some back.

His 2028 dreams are already over

And speaking of weakness – DeSantis basically admitted on Fox News that his presidential ambitions are done.

When pressed about his future plans, he gave the classic politician non-answer. “I’ve got enough challenges on my plate now,” he said.⁶

When pressed about his future political plans, DeSantis gave the kind of non-answer that screams “I have no viable path forward.”

“I’ve got enough challenges on my plate now,” DeSantis said, dodging any discussion of another White House run.⁶

The reality is that DeSantis isn’t even close to leading any 2028 polling, with Vice President JD Vance dominating every hypothetical matchup.

Making matters worse for DeSantis, Trump operatives are already signaling they’ll work to torpedo any future presidential ambitions he might have.

Tony Fabrizio, a key Trump strategist, made that crystal clear this week when he warned that DeSantis “better hope Chris LaCivita and I are both dead to have any minute chance in ’28.”⁷

That’s the political equivalent of a death sentence for any Republican with White House dreams.

DeSantis picked the wrong strategy

The Florida Governor completely misread what happened in 2024.

Here’s what he should have learned: Republican voters respect fighters. They want someone who can battle Trump and come out stronger for it.

But DeSantis chose a different path. He’s trying to make everyone forget the fight ever happened.

It’s a strategy that might keep him in Trump’s good graces for now, but it does nothing to build the kind of political brand that could win a future presidential primary.

Republican voters want fighters, not politicians who pretend tough battles never happened.

DeSantis had a chance to show Fox News viewers that he’s learned from his mistakes and gotten stronger.

Instead, he chose amnesia.

And that might be the most telling political moment of his post-2024 career.

¹ Ewan Palmer, “DeSantis Lashes Out at Fox News Host for Suggesting Trump Was Mean to Him,” Newsweek, July 21, 2025.

² Ibid.

³ Ibid.

⁴ Ibid.

⁵ Ibid.

⁶ A.G. Gancarski, “That’s just not how I roll’: Ron DeSantis says he’s not planning next political move,” Florida Politics, July 20, 2025.

⁷ Ibid.