Former President Donald Trump on Monday had kind words for Sen. Tim Scott after the South Carolina lawmaker jumped into the 2024 presidential race, but the ex-commander-in-chief still managed to take a swipe at his onetime ally, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida.

Trump remains the clear frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, but he took the opportunity to send a clear message to DeSantis, who's set to become a rival in the GOP contest as the governor is expected to announce his candidacy in the coming days.

"Good luck to Senator Tim Scott in entering the Republican Presidential Primary Race," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "It is rapidly loading up with lots of people, and Tim is a big step up from Ron DeSanctimonious, who is totally unelectable."

In his post, Trump said that he was able to work with Scott on opportunity zones, a feature of the GOP-authored Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that he signed into law in 2017. The former president, who usually has no reservations going after Republicans who have chosen to run in races against him, instead praised the South Carolinian.

"I got Opportunity Zones done with Tim, a big deal that has been highly successful," he wrote. "Good luck Tim!"

Scott on Monday announced his presidential bid in North Charleston, S.C., during an event which featured many of his friends and constituents who have witnessed his political rise from the Charleston County Council and the South Carolina legislature to the US House of Representatives and the US Senate.