Trump strategist slams DeSantis as 'sad little man'

A top strategist for Donald Trump hurled a uniquely personal attack at Ron DeSantis Wednesday night, calling him a “sad little man” who will be remembered for “chicken fingers and pudding cups.”

The insult from Trump strategist Chris LaCivita, which he posted on X, came in response to a news report that the Florida governor said on a call with supporters that he doesn’t want Trump using “identity politics” to pick a running mate. DeSantis also reportedly dismissed any possibility of being Trump’s running mate on the call, which the New York Post first reported.

LaCivita doubled down in subsequent social media posts, reposting a picture of actor James Gandolfini, most famous for playing fictional mob boss Tony Soprano, flipping off the camera.

The "pudding cups" reference stems from a Daily Beast report that DeSantis once ate pudding with his fingers on a private jet. And the chicken fingers dig comes from January, when DeSantis told New Hampshire voters about his family's love for chicken tenders.

While DeSantis did not shy from criticizing Trump in the call, he immediately endorsed the former president when he dropped his presidential campaign in January.

"[Trump] has my endorsement because we cannot go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents,” he said. At the time, Trump’s campaign said it was “honored” to have DeSantis’ endorsement.