Trump, in West Palm Beach, tells DeSantis: "I can never forget." And forget about 2028, too.

WEST PALM BEACH — Former President Donald Trump issued a not-so-veiled threat to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday night: "I can never forget."

And for good measure, he warned DeSantis, whose campaign for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination is flailing in the polls, not to plan on seeking the White House in 2028.

"I think he blew it for in four years. You never know what's going to happen, but in '28, I don't see it happening," Trump said to a crowd of supporters. "I can never forget because that's such great disloyalty."

Trump's taunts came during a show of political force with thousands gathered in West Palm Beach for a meeting of a fan club created more than five years expressly for him during his presidency. It was an opportunity for Trump to demonstrate his enduring popularity in his home county and DeSantis' home state.

The Trump faithful did not disappoint by showing up in numbers large enough to fill the cavernous Palm Beach County Convention Center.

"I've always been diehard Trump," said Sandy Powell, a Port St. Lucie resident who wore a dress with "TRUMP" embroidered vertically across the front. "He tells us how he will make it all better. He will do it again."

Michael Baust, an architectural designer from Boynton Beach, said Trump is not "part of the swamp" and as such is willing to take on difficult fights, such as border security.

"He's an eagle," said Baust. "He knows how to get it done."

Trump said he 'hit' DeSantis hard, doesn't care that governor is a Republican

Trump recounted how DeSantis trailed the leading GOP gubernatorial candidate in 2018, Adam Putnam, until he tossed his full support behind DeSantis, then a congressman from Northeast Florida. Once DeSantis chose to challenge him for the 2024 GOP nomination, Trump said the gloves came off.

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"So we hit him very hard," Trump said. "And he didn't have a lot of political skill, to put it mildly."

Trump said he attacked DeSantis despite pleas and advice not to strike at a fellow GOP official, saying he didn't "care" that the governor was a Republican. But that statement contradicted Trump's social-media post last week in which he lamented the internal fights within House Republicans that led to Speaker Kevin McCarthy's ouster.

"Why is it that Republicans are always fighting among themselves, why aren't they fighting the Radical Left Democrats who are destroying our Country?" he wrote.

Trump also lambasted DeSantis for failing to address Florida's ongoing and worsening property insurance crisis, saying the governor was taking money from insurance companies to fund his campaign instead of governing Florida.

"This guy is flying around wasting his time," Trump claimed, citing a series of polls showing him well ahead of DeSantis, who the New York Post after the November 2022 midterm election proclaimed as "DeFuture."

"No, not the future of the party," Trump said. "I don't think so. MAGA's never going to forget."

Trump spoke to a special gathering of Club 47, a Trump fan club, that was held at the convention center. Whereas the club's regular meetings at an airport-area ballroom draw hundreds, Wednesday's appearance at the convention center drew more than 3,000 people.

It was Trump's first public speech since returning to Palm Beach for the winter social season, which usually begins in October and continues through April. Trump's current stay has been and will continue to be interrupted by court dates and presidential campaigning.

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Roseanne Barr attended the speech, Melania Trump did not

TV star Roseanne Barr was in the crowd for the speech. Trump acknowledged her, citing the phenomenal ratings that her show, "The Connors," received in 2018.

Barr was dropped from the reboot of her successful sitcom, "Roseanne," by the ABC TV network following a tweet calling former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett the product of the “Muslim Brotherhood & Planet of the Apes.”

Former first lady Melania Trump maintained her absence from the campaign trail by not appearing at the convention center, which is 3.5 miles from Mar-a-Lago. She has not attended any of his campaign rallies or events, nor post-indictment speeches. But Trump's son Eric and his wife, Lara, did attend.

Another MAGA-lebrity who appeared was Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz, with his spouse, Ginger. Club 47 had Gaetz listed as one of the scheduled speakers, but the Pensacola Republican, who led the revolt which ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his role, did not take the podium.

Trump winter social season will include court dates, primaries and political events

Trump's winter season stay at Mar-a-Lago, his official residence since 2019, promises to be busy. The Republican Iowa causes will kick off the campaign season, followed by the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries.

On March 4, however, Trump is scheduled to stand trial on the four-count indictment related to the Jan. 6 violence at the U.S. Capitol. The next day, March 5, is Super Tuesday. Trump is also scheduled to stand trial on the classified documents case on May 20, although that court date may well be pushed back.

There will be a host of political functions in between, with an event scheduled for Nov. 9 at Mar-a-Lago to celebrate the Republican Party of Florida.

The largest and most opulent may well be on Feb. 10, when the Trumpettes fan club hosts a gala to honor the 45th president at his Palm Beach club.

Trumpettes president and co-founder Toni Kramer said Wednesday that the theme of the event will be "Putting on the Glitz" and will feature an as-of-yet-not-revealed celebrity.

"It's going to be magnificent," Kramer said.

In 2019, the Trumpettes gala at Mar-a-Lago honored Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight, father of actress Angelina Jolie. The following year, both Trump and DeSantis, accompanied by their spouses, attended the football-themed Trumpettes gala.

Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at afins@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Trump rally Florida: He reiterates that DeSantis was disloyal