• Trump had kind words for Tim Scott in the lead-up to the senator's WH campaign launch, per The Times.
• "I like him. We're just going to say nice things about Tim," Trump reportedly told the newspaper.
• While Trump has shown kindness to Scott, he's gone full speed ahead in attacking Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Former President Donald Trump for months has scorched Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida over his now-declared presidential campaign, calling his onetime ally "disloyal" and dismissing the ex-congressman's readiness for national office.

But on the opposite end, Trump has had nothing but kind words for Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, whom he worked with during his term in the White House.

And according to a recent New York Times report, Trump still had positive feelings regarding Scott in the lead-up to the conservative lawmaker launching his presidential campaign last week.

While watching Fox News at his Mar-a-Lago club in South Florida recently, Trump reportedly passed on any sort of negative words about his longtime ally.

"I like him. We're just going to say nice things about Tim," Trump said, according to an unnamed individual who spoke with The Times.

After Scott held his campaign announcement in North Charleston, South Carolina, last week, Trump wished him luck in the GOP contest and said that the senator would be a "big step up" from DeSantis — whose presidential announcement came during the same week.