HIDDEN HAND

Team Trump Blames McConnell for Orchestrating DeSantis Blow-Up

Trump and DeSantis have fallen out, and the ex-president’s aides think they know why.

Relations between Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have broken down in recent weeks—and the ex-president’s team is ready to dish out some blame. The Daily Beast reported Monday that Trump has incessantly insulted DeSantis to anyone who will listen since the turn of the year, and the Florida governor has been happy to publicly condemn Trump’s early response to the pandemic. Now, according to NBC News, Trump’s advisers have pointed the finger at Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been accused of being the “hidden hand” behind the falling out. The aides made the link because DeSantis condemned Trump’s pandemic policies on Ruthless, a podcast co-hosted by McConnell adviser Josh Holmes. “I like Josh. Josh is great. But he’s a wholly owned subsidiary of McConnell World. And there’s no way you can tell me that this was all a coincidence,” an unnamed Trump adviser told the network. McConnell’s Senate spokesman declined to comment on the report.