Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty
The cold war between former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is turning hotter—and messier—by the day. And allies trying to stay neutral are quickly finding out that, at least in the eyes of Trumpworld, you can’t be Switzerland.
Jenna Ellis, who served as a senior Trump legal adviser after the 2020 election, is the latest Republican to play both sides and get burned. She has carefully been trying to navigate the two power bases of the modern GOP, tweeting nice things about Trump and DeSantis while also trying to maintain friendships in both camps. But in Trumpworld—where loyalty seems to mean complete devotion to Trump—Ellis is getting more than a taste of the wrath of the former president’s die-hard supporters.
Six sources close to Trump spoke to The Daily Beast for this story. And while two sources who maintain regular contact with the former president said Ellis hadn’t been much of a focus, everyone noted that her warm entreaties to DeSantisland hadn’t gone unnoticed.
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