Midterm elections results: Rivalry spills open as Trump lashes out at DeSantis

Rivalry between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis has spilt open after the Republican ex-president came swinging out against his one-time acolyte on Thursday night.

Mr Trump belittled the Florida governor as an "average" politician whose success was owed to his patronage.

Mr DeSantis, 44, stormed to re-election in Tuesday's midterms, making him the Republicans' biggest rising star and a clear challenger to Mr Trump.

The ex-president warned him against it.

In a lengthy statement, Mr Trump dismissed Mr DeSantis as a political lightweight who had come to him "in desperate shape" when running for his first term in office in 2017. read more