'Gutless': Trump makes a thinly veiled attack on DeSantis — and one reporter says she knows why

Former President Donald Trump has been angering some of his far-right supporters, including Infowars’ Alex Jones, by coming out in favor of COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots. Regardless, Trump hasn’t backed down from that pro-vaccine message, which he reiterated during an appearance on One America News this week. And a reference to Republicans who are too “gutless” to openly support vaccines is being described by various media outlets as a swipe at Ron DeSantis, although Trump didn’t actually mention the Florida governor by name.

When Trump was asked if he is reconsidering his support for COVID-19 vaccines, he responded, “Well, I’ve taken it. I’ve had the booster. Many politicians—I’ve watched a couple of politicians be interviewed, and one of the questions was: Did you get the booster? Because, they had the vaccine…. The answer is ‘yes,’ but they don’t want to say it because they’re gutless. You’ve gotta say it, whether you’ve had it or not.”

The former president went on to tell OAN, “The fact is that I think the vaccine has saved tens of millions of people throughout the world. I’ve had absolutely no side effects.”

In recent interviews, DeSantis has been highly evasive when asked whether or not he has received a COVID-19 booster shot.

READ: Maddow's bombshell: MSNBC host reveals suspicious link between Republicans’ ‘forged’ election documents

Vox’s Aaron Rupar tweeted that Trump was obviously referring to DeSantis:

The New York Times' Maggie Haberman also tweeted about the tension between Trump and DeSantis:

Trump has yet to say whether or not he will seek the GOP presidential nomination in 2024. A lot could change between now and then, but one person who is being mentioned as a likely candidate for 2024 — assuming Trump doesn’t run — is DeSantis.