NEW: Trump is now blackmailing Ron DeSantis - “If he did run, I will tell you things about him that won’t be very flattering.“

Former President Donald Trump suggested on Monday that he would reveal unflattering information about Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis if the two men end up competing for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

Speaking to reporters on his plane, a Boeing 757 known as "Trump Force One," the former president said he did not know if DeSantis would run against him, but suggested that doing so would be bad for both DeSantis and the GOP.

"I don't know if he is running. I think if he runs, he could hurt himself very badly. I really believe he could hurt himself badly," Trump said, according to Fox News. "I think he would be making a mistake, I think the base would not like it — I don't think it would be good for the party."

"I don't know if he runs. If he runs, he runs," Trump went on to say. "I would tell you things about him that won't be very flattering — I know more about him than anybody — other than, perhaps, his wife."

It was unclear what information Trump may have about DeSantis, though the statement echoed a threat he made to "spill the beans" about Heidi Cruz, the wife of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, during the heavily-contested 2016 presidential primary.

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