Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is taking steps to thaw relations with former President Trump, his primary rival, as he considers his next political move — including another potential bid for the White House in 2028.
DeSantis met with Trump in a private meeting in Miami over the weekend, the first time he spoke with the former president since dropping out of the White House race following disappointing results in early voting states.
The meeting underscores the need for DeSantis to repair relations with Trump if he plans to run for another office in the future, something many say is likely.
“It’s a win-win situation,” said Ford O’Connell, a Florida Republican strategist. “Trump can use as many strong fundraisers and messengers as possible, and I think being in Trump’s good graces bodes well for DeSantis’ political future.”
“It really is that simple,” he added.
Florida Republicans say the unity between the two was somewhat expected but much needed given the political climate ahead of the general election.
“As a Republican who wants to see the party unite to defeat Joe Biden, I was pleased that the two former opponents were able to meet face to face,” said Justin Sayfie, a Florida Republican strategist.
The former president confirmed the meeting in a Truth Social post on Monday, saying he was “very happy to have the full and enthusiastic support” of DeSantis.
“The conversation was mostly about how we would work closely together to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump wrote. “The future of Florida was also discussed, which is FANTASTIC! I greatly appreciate Ron’s support in our country’s recovery from the worst president in American history. November 5th is a BIG DAY!!!”
The meeting signals a thaw in the previously icy relationship between Trump and DeSantis, which worsened following DeSantis’ decision to challenge Trump for the Republican presidential nomination. Trump relentlessly attacked DeSantis throughout the primary campaign, labeling him “DeSanctimonious,” among other things.
But DeSantis and Trump were not always campaign rivals. The Florida governor linked himself to the president during his first gubernatorial campaign in 2018 and campaigned for Trump’s re-election bid in 2020. At that time, DeSantis was already seen as a rising Republican star, receiving praise from conservatives, including Trump , for its way of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
When the 2022 midterm elections arrived, Trump and his allies were watching DeSantis closely as he oversaw a successful election for Florida Republicans while a blue wave swept across much of the rest of the country.
When DeSantis officially jumped into the presidential race in May 2023, some observers speculated that he could surpass Trump as the Republican Party’s new standard-bearer.
Ultimately, however, the former governor’s campaign did not live up to expectations. He faced constant negative criticism because of his often stilted performance on the campaign trail and consistently trailed Trump ahead of the Iowa caucuses.
After coming in a distant second to Trump in Iowa, he dropped out of the race just days before the New Hampshire primary, leaving many wondering what the 45-year-old governor would do next.
“I think DeSantis really hurt himself with this campaign in terms of his future,” said one Republican strategist. “The best way for him to revitalize or reenergize his brand is to be as close to Trump as possible.”
And the two men have a lot in common, coming from the same wing of the Republican Party and sharing a base of support from voters and donors.
“There’s also a lot of crossover between Trump’s presidential donors and DeSantis’ government donors,” O’Connell said.
Republican donor Dan Eberhart supported DeSantis during the Republican primary but switched his support to Trump following the governor’s decision to drop out.
“No other governor has accomplished more for the conservative cause than Governor DeSantis,” Eberhart said. “If Trump weren’t running, DeSantis would be the nominee.”
DeSantis’ supporters argue that his fundraising ability and star power among conservatives will be a major factor in finally rallying and unifying the conservative base before November.
Although recent polls have shown that Trump narrowly leads President Biden, the former president is trailing the current president in fundraising. Biden ended the last quarter with $155 million in the bank, compared to Trump’s $42 million. But documents from the last quarter suggest that Trump and his allies are working to bridge that gap with Biden.
“Trump’s fundraising numbers could certainly be boosted by DeSantis,” Eberhart said.
The dispute between Trump and DeSantis in South Florida comes as Democrats increasingly look to the Sunshine State as part of their broader electoral map strategy. Vice President Harris is expected to visit the state this week to highlight the state’s six-week abortion ban, which was signed into law by DeSantis and is expected to take effect.
While most Republicans say Democrats’ chances of winning Florida are slim, their strategy of targeting the state forces Republicans to spend money there when they could target other states. Some Republicans argue that the show of unity between Trump and DeSantis, who live in Florida, will help offset those efforts.
“Right now in Florida, at least at this stage, Republicans are marching together,” O’Connell said. “I think [Democrats] we were looking for some chinks in the armor and we didn’t find them in Florida, at least certainly not this cycle.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
