“Clearly, Donald Trump and his army of consultants are panicked about Ron DeSantis’ winning debate performance and the strong momentum that has followed,” Bryan Griffin, a press secretary for DeSantis’ campaign, said in a statement.

Driving the news: Trump posted on Truth Social Monday that there was a “roomer” DeSantis would drop out of the presidential race and instead run against Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fl.).

Griffin called the post “fake news” and said Trump’s campaign should instead be “focused on getting their candidate on the campaign trail in Iowa and on the debate stage.”

[Embarrassing, including the fact that Trump can’t spell ‘rumor’ correctly. All he has are juvenile jabs, which look even worse when Trump refuses to engage in debate. His most ardent supporters will eat this up, but it’s not just embarrassing, it looks weak. — Ed]