Move over Lindsey Graham, Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis is angling to be Trump’s new lapdog

He was called “Pudding Fingers,” “Meatball Ron” and “Tiny D.” He was accused of being homosexual, potentially being a pedophile and wearing high heels. But for Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis, all of those insults are apparently in the past.

The flailing Florida governor, who ran an embarrassing presidential campaign before dropping out, isn’t just endorsing Trump for president. He’s pledging to raise money for his chief tormentor, too!

DeSantis privately told donors last weekend he plans to fundraise for Trump, NBC News reports. “He did say it in front of a group of people at the Hard Rock [Hotel and Casino],” according to an advisor.

The about-face is a humiliating retreat for DeSantis, who campaigned for president on the mantra that he would “never back down.”

But as it turns out, that’s exactly what he’s doing. When DeSantis first exited the race, he started opening up about Trump, complaining about his vice grip on right-wing media.

“[Trump’s] got basically a Praetorian Guard of the conservative media. Fox News, the websites, all this stuff,” he said, in possibly his most accurate comments ever. “They just don’t–they don’t hold him accountable because they’re worried about losing viewers.”

DeSantis went further in a private call with donors, opining about Trump’s “baggage” and his lack of accomplishments as president.

“I mean, we didn’t really do what we said we would do. You didn’t see any major immigration, border or any type of legislation. You didn’t see anything with repealing and replacing Obamacare. You didn’t see anything about reining in the bureaucracy. I mean, it was pretty, pretty mundane stuff,” he offered.

In the same call, DeSantis said it would be a “mistake” for Trump to consider identity politics when selecting a running mate. That leaked rebuke prompted one of Trump’s top strategists, Chris LaCivita, to call the gay-hating governor a “sad little man.”

Since returning to Florida, DeSantis has been dealt loss after loss.

His signature “Don’t Say Gay” legislation was clawed back, with a Florida court deciding the law was too broad. The court’s ruling says the statute “would leave teachers free to ‘respond if students discuss . . . their identities or family life,’ ‘provide grades and feedback’ if a student chooses ‘LGBTQ identity’ as an essay topic, and answer ‘questions about their families.’”

In addition, the court found the law doesn’t prohibit “incidental references in literature to a gay or transgender person or to a same-sex couple.”

Overall, DeSantis’ anti-LGBTQ+ agenda is hitting roadblocks in the Republican-dominated Florida legislature. According to Truthout, 21 of 22 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were effectively eliminated in this year’s legislative session.

Florida lawmakers also pushed back on the embattled gov’s request to place one of Moms for Liberty’s co-founders, Tina Descovich, on a state ethics board. 

DeSantis’ other signature piece of legislation, the Stop WOKE Act, is now curtailed as well. Last year, an appeals court ruled it couldn’t apply to colleges and universities, and recently included business in that group. One justice called the law “positively dystopian.”

Four judges in total have blocked the legislation, including two appointed by the former White House occupant.

But for DeSantis, few things could be more degrading than raising money for Trump. Once one of his biggest backers, Trump immediately turned on DeSantis when he announced his presidential run, complaining the former backbencher wasn’t grateful.

On the campaign trail, Trump frequently told a story about how DeSantis came to him with “tears in his eyes” begging for his endorsement in the Florida 2018 gubernatorial race.

Despite DeSantis endorsing Trump this time around, the disgraced ex-president has continued his verbal assaults.

“I hit him hard, I hit him low, just like we did to ISIS,” he said at a rally just last month. “He’s a shell of a man. We have to hit our enemies hard.”

DeSantis is far from the only demoralized Republican presidential loser to endorse Trump after enduring months of insults. During the 2016 cycle, Trump suggested Ted Cruz‘s father was in cahoots with Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who killed JFK, and threatened to “spill the beans” on his wife, whom he implied was ugly.

And yet, Cruz has supported Trump for president… three times!

Marco Rubio has done the same, despite Trump calling him “Liddle Marco” and declaring the Florida senator is a “total choke artist.”

But in a sign that Trump’s grudges are forever changing, he’s now reportedly considering Rubio as a possible running mate.

The same goes for Tim Scott, whose engagement Trump ridiculed the very night he endorsed him.

But as mentioned, at least Scott and Rubio can now count themselves in Trump’s obit, as pathetic as that sounds. DeSantis, meanwhile, isn’t on any veep shortlist. Being obsequious is often a thankless act.