The political rivalry between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis has not cooled as the midterm elections approach and as Republicans look to reclaim the White House in 2024.

The pair once shared a mentor-protege relationship but the two favorites for the 2024 nomination have grown more apart through the current political cycle. The positive vibes began in 2018 when Trump endorsed DeSantis for his first gubernatorial bid and, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, stated that he supported the incumbent governor's re-election campaign.

That has changed.

An anonymous CNN source linked to the DeSantis campaign explained that there was a "rift" between the two politicians.

"It's no secret that things are cool between [Trump and DeSantis] right now. They're not punching each other, but we're not helping them and they're not helping us," the source told CNN.

The rivalry between the two politicians had simmered underneath the surface and had been mostly kept out of the public eye until a spate of October events forced it into view.

DeSantis publically endorsed a Republican enemy of Trump for the Colorado Senate race. Businessman Joe O'Dea had promised to "actively campaign" against Trump if the former president were to run for the White House again. Although DeSantis has endorsed other Republican candidates across the country, O'Dea has been the loudest in his criticism of Trump.

Trump quickly took to his Truth Social platform to call DeSantis' endorsement "A BIG MISTAKE!" and on Wednesday announced a Miami rally endorsing Republican Sen. Marco Rubio. There was no mention of DeSantis.

But there was a mention of DeSantis in New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman's book "Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America." Trump is said to have called DeSantis "fat" "phony" and "whiny."

The tension between Trump and DeSantis has been simmering since last year, as DeSantis had criticized Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic while in office. There have been attempts by other Republicans to mend the relationship between the two, but DeSantis threatens Trump's 2024 hopes due to his large base of Hispanic voters. DeSantis has also already laid the foundations for a 2024 presidential campaign and established a base of allies for if and when he pushes his entry into the Republican primary.

DeSantis remained silent during his Oct. 24 debate when his opponent, Charlie Crist, questioned if he would complete a four-year term if Florida voters reelected him. Allies of Trump saw this as a sign that DeSantis wouldn't survive a debate with Trump.

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