One of the major criticisms of Ron DeSantis’s campaign for the GOP nomination was that he went far too easy on his biggest competition, a.k.a. Donald Trump. Yet since dropping out of the race, the Florida governor has fully trashed the ex-president, saying Trump accomplished virtually nothing of note while in office and preemptively rejecting a VP offer from the former guy. At this point, you may be wondering why DeSantis is doing this. Is he merely blowing off steam? Is he laying the groundwork for a 2028 run? Does he think he actually, in some universe, has a chance of winning in 2024, despite suspending his campaign? According to people with opinions on the matter, all of the above!

A Republican operative who was on DeSantis’s call last week with supporters told Politico he suspects the governor is setting himself up to be a go-to option for the party in the event Trump has to end his bid for reelection. “I believe everything you’re seeing is part of a concerted effort by DeSantis world to keep the door open in the event that something in the race changes in the coming weeks that takes Trump out—like a criminal conviction and jail or prison sentence,” the person said.

Others believe DeSantis’s moves—which include not only attacking Trump in a way he never did on the trail but also traveling the country and continuing to pitch his record—have more to do with 2028. During his chat with supporters, the governor left the door open for another White House bid in four years, and during a press conference on Friday said that “of course” he would do it all over again. As Politico reported, “several supporters said they expect him to run for president again and predicted he will start raising money for state-level political activities later in the year.”

Then, of course, there’s also the possibility that DeSantis is just pissed that he couldn’t beat a four-times-indicted, coup-inciting ex-president who was recently found liable for sexual abuse (and defamation) and ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for fraud, and is simply expressing that frustration. (Trump has pleaded not guilty in all four criminal cases and appealed the civil fraud judgment. He also requested to suspend the defamation ruling and has struck out thus far.) “I think he is just very frustrated that no one else is saying these very obvious things and so feels the need to say them himself. Like the boy in ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes,’” Jason Osborne, the New Hampshire House majority leader, told Politico. Rob Stutzman, an adviser to Mitt Romney’s 2008 presidential campaign, opined similarly, telling the outlet, “I question how strategic he’s being. I’d lean towards catharsis. Cheaper than therapy.”

Whatever the reason, Team Trump is clearly not thrilled with the lack of deference. After DeSantis’s call last week, Chris LaCivita, a senior Trump strategist, dubbed him a “sad little man,” while Trump’s campaign spokesman Steven Cheung wrote on X, “Ron tucked his tail between his legs and he should have scurried off into the shadows of obscurity. Now that he’s dipped his high-heeled toes back in the water, he might just find out our shovel can dig a lot deeper.”