Republican staffers are ditching Trump to help DeSantis win. But Trump, despite being famously obsessed with loyalty, is likely to forgive anyone who comes crawling back to him as long as they 'bend the knee.'

• Former Trump staffers have joined a pro-DeSantis super PAC as the primary season heats up.

• Trump's campaign reportedly plans to blacklist anyone who works for DeSantis, but it may be an empty threat.

• Regardless of who's backing who, one expert said the race will come down to the candidates themselves.

More Republicans are lining up to get Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis elected president in 2024 — even as reports say former President Donald Trump's campaign has vowed to blacklist anyone who does.

Though DeSantis has not yet officially launched a campaign, Trump has already gone on the attack, frequently criticizing his former ally, lambasting his record as governor, and even taking credit for his popularity. Polls currently suggest Trump, who declared his 2024 campaign in November, is leading DeSantis for the Republican nomination.

So far, only Trump and Nikki Haley have officially entered the race. But for the 2020 election, nearly every candidate had declared by May 2019, meaning DeSantis's announcement could be coming soon.

As the feud between the two heats up, with DeSantis recently taking a swipe at Trump over his potential indictment, the time for GOP insiders — including staffers, strategists, and donors — to pick sides is quickly approaching.

"It's a time for choosing," a source close to Trump told RealClearPolitics last week. "If you work for Ron DeSantis' presidential race, you will not work for the Trump campaign or in the Trump White House."

Several former Trump staffers have joined team DeSantis in recent weeks. Ken Cuccinelli, who served as Trump's acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security from 2019 to 2021, launched the pro-DeSantis super PAC, Never Back Down, earlier this month. In an interview with Fox News, Cuccinelli called DeSantis the "strongest Republican available."

Erin Perrine and Matt Wolking, top communications aides to Trump's 2020 campaign, have also joined the super PAC. In his announcement, Wolking wrote: "Trump was the president we needed 8 years ago, but to make America great again, our movement needs a disciplined leader who wins instead of loses, never backs down, fights smart, and puts the mission before himself. On each count, Governor Ron DeSantis is the strongest choice."