'DeSanctimonious' no more: Trump says he will drop his ex-rival's nickname

It did not take long.

Just over an hour after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis withdrew from the Republican presidential primary and endorsed Donald J. Trump, the former president handed out his version of a consolation prize.

“Should I use the name Ron DeSantimonious?” he said after brief remarks at his campaign headquarters in New Hampshire. “I said that name is officially retired.”

The nickname, a staple of his social media posts and speeches for much of the past year, was on its way out, he told the person who asked him if he would continue using it.

His campaign struck a conciliatory tone in a statement, saying “we are honored by the endorsement.” It was a comment Trump repeated during his rally later that evening.

“He was very gracious and supportive, so I appreciate that,” Trump said at the meeting.

The main contest is now a two-person race between Mr Trump and Nikki Haley, who served as his ambassador to the United Nations and has also become the target of his abuse.

Trump's playground taunts have baffled his opponents and amused his supporters since his 2016 campaign, when he often used derisive nicknames for Republican rivals like Sen. Ted Cruz and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and then for Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent. He did the same in 2020 with Democratic contenders, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and with the eventual winner, President Biden.