WATCH: Trump Couldn’t Stop Himself Taking Shot At DeSantis During GOP Dinner — But Crowd Was Not Feeling It

Donald Trump appeared to be going out of his way to refrain from off-the-cuff bashing of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during his remarks to a local GOP dinner event on Friday, but despite the obvious, conscious effort just couldn’t stop himself from trying out an insult. And it did not land.

Trump’s speech at the Lincoln Reagan dinner put on annually by the Lee County Republicans focused in large part on Democrats and President Joe Biden, as well as the media, the legal trouble he faces, and other familiar villains and themes from his standard stump speeches.

But although he took a fair amount of shots at Republicans of the wrong stripe, and said at one point that the “old” Republican party of “neocons” and “globalists” can never come back, his avoidance of direct DeSantis disparagement was exceedingly conspicuous.

Even when he brought up his poll numbers in the primary he somehow avoided a sneer.

But he wasn’t able to maintain it despite himself or any coaching or advising from the event hosts or his own campaign. He simply couldn’t stop himself from trying to go low.

And he was not rewarded for it – For the second time recently in front of a friendly audience.

“In Florida, I got 1.2 million more votes than your successful governor’s campaign. You know that. We got 1.2 million,” said Trump.

He then adopted his mocking voice, play acting DeSantis begging him for help.

“‘Sir I’d love to have your support, sir. I’d love to have your support. I’m down at about three. I’d love to have you support.,'” said Trump. He then acted out his imaginary reply. “‘All right, let’s think about it.'”

“Then there was like, a rocket ship after I gave it,” he continued after the performance. “Otherwise, right now, you’d have a lawyer someplace looking for business.”

There were some isolated, quiet chuckles in the otherwise still room, and he snidely added, “If that.”

It was then just plain quiet in the room.

Trump has been viciously after DeSantis since the popular governor, whose convincing election mandate in Florida has him as the leading contender against Trump’s 2024 run, started making gains in polling. The gap has widened and narrowed many times but it is always DeSantis in second ahead of any other potential opponents.

But at a Florida Republican party event, going after the governor they tirelessly to support and elect just didn’t have an upside for Trump’s campaign. And yet he just couldn’t resist it.

Watch the clip above, via Real America’s Voice on Rumble.