Is it a deliberate snub? Is it the beginning of a divisive battle that leads up to the 2024 presidential election cycle? A developing rivalry between former President Trump and current Florida Governor Ron DeSantis may be in the making. Trump will do a campaign rally with incumbent Republican Senator Marco Rubio on November 6 in Miami-Dade County.

There was no mention of Governor DeSantis, also running for re-election, in Trump’s announcement of the rally with Rubio on Wednesday. It is reported that aides to Trump said that DeSantis will not be there. The timing is interesting since just Monday DeSantis debated his Democrat challenger Charlie Crist and refused to say if he will serve a full term when he is re-elected. Crist was trying to make a point that DeSantis is planning to run for the GOP nomination for president in 2024 and is not fully committed to serving a complete second term in office. What Crist did, though, was tee up DeSantis to deliver a line he must have had at the ready and eager to launch against Crist.

“Why don’t you look in the eyes of the people of Florida and say to them, if you’re reelected, you will serve a full four-year term as governor. Yes or no? “Yes or no, Ron?” Crist asked.

“I know that Charlie is itching to talk about 2024 and Joe Biden. But I just want to make things very, very clear: The only worn-out old donkey I’m looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist,” DeSantis responded.

That is a great line and Crist deserves it. Crist is no match against DeSantis and all polls show DeSantis will win re-election. The latest Real Clear Politics aggregated averaging has DeSantis up 11.2 points over Crist. DeSantis is very popular in Florida, and has received praise for his job performance during Hurricane Ian.

Trump, however, continues to poll well when it comes to running again in 2024. DeSantis comes in second but always a distant second. That may change after the mid-term elections and voters shift their interest to the 2024 presidential election cycle. There is voter angst over Trump running again and, like Biden, he isn’t getting any younger. Trump will be 78-years-old in 2024. Even some of Trump’s most loyal supporters concede it is time for him to step aside and enjoy a role as kingmaker instead of running for president again. Trump could still have an active role in the Republican Party but not as a candidate.

The rally on November 6 will be at the Miami-Dade County Fair & Exposition. Miami-Dade County is Democrat territory. However, Republicans are making inroads back into gaining support, largely due to the successes of DeSantis in office. DeSantis is popular in Miami-Dade County.

Trump has been credited for helping DeSantis win his first term as governor. Trump takes the credit, too. He is said to be irritated that DeSantis doesn’t sound grateful enough and is angry that DeSantis may be considering running for president in 2024. For Trump, everything is about loyalty to him, not what may be best for the Republican Party.

As Trump has shifted his focus toward his own political future, two people who recently spoke to him told CNN that the former President has complained about the Florida governor and indicated he was ungrateful to Trump, who believes he is responsible for DeSantis’ success in 2018.

Rubio is running against his Democrat challenger, Rep. Val Demings, who has served in the House since 2017. She was an impeachment manager in the first Senate trial of Trump. She was reported to have been on Biden’s short list of vice-president candidates in 2020. Rubio is in position to be re-elected. Real Clear Politics has him up over Demings by 7.4 points. Even though Miami-Dade County trends Democrat, Trump has a loyal following of supporters there.

Biden is going to Miami-Dade County to campaign for both Demings and Crist. In September Biden came to Florida to make a speech and Demings was a no-show. Demings has distanced herself as much as any other Democrat from Biden, who is deeply unpopular with voters. It’s a bold move, or an act of desperation, for Demings and Crist to appear with him just days before the mid-term elections.