Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is finally hitting back at Donald Trump after the former president has spent months baiting the man seen as his most formidable challenger for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

In an interview for Fox Nation’s “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” set to air Thursday, DeSantis took shots at Trump’s leadership style and character.

Morgan, the show's host, shared details of the interview in an op-ed Wednesday for the New York Post.

Drawing contrast between himself and Trump, DeSantis pointed to the former president’s chaotic and self-obsessed management style.

“In terms of my approach to leadership, I get personnel in the government who have the agenda of the people and share our agenda,” said DeSantis, who has not yet announced whether he plans to run for president. “You bring your own agenda in, you’re gone. We’re just not gonna have that.

“So, the way we run the government, I think, is no daily drama, focus on the big picture and put points on the board, and I think that’s something that’s very important,” he added.

DeSantis also slammed Trump’s approach to COVID-19, saying things would have been much different if he had been president in 2020, including that he would have fired National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci.

The Florida governor said character matters in a president. DeSantis drew Trump’s ire earlier this week when he blasted the Manhattan district attorney investigation into Trump’s alleged hush money payments to an adult film star but shined a spotlight on the alleged underlying behavior, “I don’t know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair.”

Trump, who has denied wrongdoing in the Manhattan case, responded on his Truth Social platform by saying, “Ron DeSanctimonious will probably find out about FALSE ACCUSATIONS & FAKE STORIES sometime in the future, as he gets older, wiser, and better known, when he’s unfairly and illegally attacked by a woman, even classmates that are “underage” (or possibly a man!). I’m sure he will want to fight these misfits just like I do!”

In his interview with Morgan, DeSantis pointed to the nation’s Founding Fathers in discussing character.

“It’s not saying that you don’t ever make a mistake in your personal life, but I think what type of character are you bringing?” DeSantis said. “So, somebody who really set the standard is George Washington because he always put the republic over his own personal interest.”

DeSantis had avoided responding to Trump’s increasing attacks, which have included the nicknames “Ron DeSanctimonious” and “Meatball Ron.” DeSantis called it “background noise.”

The Florida governor added that he, unlike Trump, is not interested in sparring with people over social media.

“It’s not important for me to be fighting with people on social media,” he said. “It’s not accomplishing anything for the people I represent.”

DeSantis, whom Trump endorsed for governor in 2018, still would not say if he plans to make a White House run, telling Morgan, “Stay tuned.”

He, however, said he believes he could defeat President Joe Biden in the general election.

“Ultimately, you know, the guy I’m gonna focus on is Biden because I think he’s failed the country,” DeSantis said. “I think the country wants a change. I think they want a fresh start and a new direction, and so we’ll be very vocal about that.”

A Monmouth University poll Tuesday showed DeSantis losing ground in a possible showdown with Trump. Forty-one percent of Republican voters said they support Trump for the nomination, compared to 27% for DeSantis. Last month, the two were tied atop the poll at 33%.

But a Quinnipiac University poll last week showed DeSantis just 1 percentage point behind Biden in a hypothetical general election, while Trump trailed Biden by 4 points.