A ruthless war between the Trump and DeSantis campaigns is unfolding in increasingly personal terms, sucking in top surrogates and raising new skepticism about the likelihood of post-primary reconciliation.

Why it matters: Trump doesn't just want to defeat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — he's out to destroy DeSantis' political career and that of anyone who has expressed even a hint of support for his candidacy.

• For Trump, loyalty is paramount — and a one-way street.
• The fact that so many former Trump administration officials and supporters have defected to team DeSantis has made the feud intensely personal for the ex-president.

Driving the news: Trump yesterday attacked his former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, now a Fox News host, after she said on air that polling showed DeSantis was "closing the gap" on Trump in Iowa.

• "Kayleigh 'Milktoast' McEnany just gave out the wrong poll numbers on FoxNews. I am 34 points up on DeSanctimonious, not 25 up," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
• "The RINOS & Globalists can have her. FoxNews should only use REAL Stars!!!" he added, using a derisive acronym meaning "Republican In Name Only."

Context: McEnany was the ultimate Trump loyalist — defending him from the White House podium the day after the Jan. 6 insurrection, even as other administration officials remained silent or resigned in protest.

• Trump's comments drew widespread criticism from many of his former supporters, but some MAGA diehards insisted that McEnany had lost credibility since joining Fox and deserved the criticism.

The personal attacks haven't stopped there:

• Jenna Ellis, a former Trump campaign lawyer who played a leading role in challenging the results of the 2020 election, has accused Trump supporters of harassing her for expressing support for both DeSantis and the former president.
• Christina Pushaw, a top DeSantis aide who shot to prominence for brawling with liberals and the media on Twitter, has faced attacks from Trump supporters about her physical appearance and past work for foreign nationals.
• Surrogates from both campaigns got into an ugly back-and-forth over Memorial Day weekend about DeSantis and other Trump enemies' service in the military.

Between the lines: This is far from the first — or the last — political campaign to turn personal.

• But with DeSantis now ramping up his own attacks on Trump after months of deflection, the heightened level of vitriol is likely to become all-consuming.
• That can only bode well for President Biden and the Democrats, as it's difficult to envision Trump encouraging his supporters to vote for DeSantis if the Florida governor wins the nomination.

What to watch: DeSantis has only been an official candidate for a week, meaning this is just the start of Trump's scorched-earth campaign. The first GOP presidential debate — if Trump decides to participate — is in August.

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What could have been an embarrassing defeat for House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — and a potentially catastrophic blow to the U.S. economy — was averted earlier tonight thanks to votes from Democrats, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.

Driving the news: More than 50 Democrats stepped in to allow McCarthy's debt ceiling compromise with Biden to advance to a final vote, after 29 Republicans broke with their leadership and voted no on the rule for floor debate.

• It was an unusual breach of norms: Typically on these procedural votes, members vote with their parties even if they oppose the underlying bill.

What we're hearing: One House Democrat told Axios that some members received calls on behalf of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) asking if they would be willing to potentially contribute votes.

• The Democrats lingered in the chamber throughout the vote, waiting to see the Republican count — then voted "yes" en masse after Jeffries held up a green card.
• Asked if he had cut a deal with McCarthy, Jeffries did not answer the question directly and said Democrats had come "to the rescue to avoid a dangerous default and help House Republicans get legislation over the finish line that they negotiated themselves."

State of play: After an hour of debate, the House was set to begin voting on final passage of the debt ceiling bill at 8:15pm ET.

Two known commodities and one dark horse are set to join the GOP presidential primary next week, threatening to re-create the divided dynamic that allowed Trump to coast to the nomination in 2016:

• Up first is former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who will launch next Tuesday in New Hampshire as an explicitly anti-Trump candidate. The former Trump ally is eager to reach the debate stage and will be backed by a new super PAC called Tell It Like It Is.
• On Wednesday, former Vice President Mike Pence will launch his campaign in Des Moines, Iowa, seeking to restore Reagan era principles to a Republican Party that has been remade — with his help — in Trump's image.
• Pence's launch is likely to overshadow a campaign announcement that same day by North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, a relatively unknown quantity with significant personal wealth and strong anti-abortion credentials.

The Justice Department sued West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice's coal empire today, alleging his companies failed to pay millions of dollars in civil penalties for hundreds of mining violations in recent years, Axios' Jacob Knutson reports.

Why it matters: The lawsuit comes just over a month after Justice, the wealthiest man in West Virginia, launched a campaign against Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

• Manchin, widely believed to be the most vulnerable Democrat on the 2024 Senate map, has not yet announced whether he's running for re-election and has teased a third-party presidential bid.
• A poll from Eastern Carolina University found Justice is leading Manchin 54% to 32% among registered voters — though the governor still has to get through a contested GOP primary against Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.).

How it's playing: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and other conservatives claimed, without evidence, that the lawsuit is another example of the Biden administration weaponizing the DOJ against its political enemies.

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