Former Republican congressman from Michigan David Trott called Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) an arrogant asshole in an interview with Politico.
Trott told the outlet that he met DeSantis after he was elected to Congress in 2014 and they both served on the House Foreign affairs Committee. The former congressman said he sat next to DeSantis on the committee for two years and DeSantis only spoke to him once, and that was because Trott initiated a conversation with him.
“I go to my first hearing early and DeSantis showed up right at the gavel time and didn’t say hello or introduce himself. And then the next hearing, the same thing happened. I think the third time it happened, I thought, ‘Oh, this guy’s not ever going to say hello to me,’” Trott said.
Trott admitted that DeSantis has a “talent” for figuring out “what issues and hot buttons he needs to press to advance his political ambitions,” but he’s not likeable.
“If you’re going to go into politics, kind of a fundamental skill that you should have is likability. I don’t think [he] has that,” Trott said. “He never developed any relationships with other members that I know of. You’d never see him talking on the floor with other people or palling around. He’s just a very arrogant guy, very focused on Ron DeSantis.”
DeSantis is yet to officially announce he is running for president in 2024, but he is laying the groundwork and is expected to do so as soon as next month. However, his awkwardness and lack of personal connections with his former colleagues in the House are playing out now as several elected Republicans, including those from Florida, have already endorsed Former President Donald Trump in the GOP primary.
“He wasn’t really liked when he was in Congress,” Trott said of DeSantis. “And now it’s coming home to, you know, prove out as some of the Florida delegation endorsed Trump and and some of the donors, you know, think he’s kind of awkward in terms of how he interacts with them.”
“If his pre-presidential campaign was playing out differently, then I’d say, ‘Well, maybe he just didn’t like me.’ But I think there’s something more at work here,” Trott added. “I think he’s an asshole. I don’t think he cares about people.”
Both Trott and DeSantis left Congress in 2018. Trott did not seek re-election while DeSantis ran a successful campaign for governor of Florida that year.
