Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) is planning to raise funds for former President Trump’s 2024 campaign in the coming weeks.
Details have not yet been finalized, The Associated Press reported, citing two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity. They told the AP that DeSantis has been making calls to donors and that the finance team is working on a fundraising campaign that would include stops in Florida and Texas.
The fundraising efforts follow months of political rivalry as DeSantis and Trump faced off in the 2024 Republican presidential primaries.
Despite being considered Trump’s most formidable opponent, the Florida governor failed to gain traction in the polls. Analysts said it was because he didn’t give voters a reason to choose him over the former president.
Meanwhile, the former president criticized DeSantis at every turn, dubbing him “DeSanctimonious” and calling him a “terrible candidate.”
DeSantis finally suspended his presidential bid in January after failing to gain support in the Iowa caucuses. He said it was “clear” that GOP voters wanted a second Trump term and said he would support the former president because he pledged to support the Republican nominee to take on President Biden.
In late April, Trump said he had a “great meeting” with DeSantis in which they discussed their shared state of Florida and how they could work closely nationally.
Roy Bailey, a Dallas investor who co-chaired DeSantis’ national finance committee during his campaign, told the AP that the Florida governor “has demonstrated his commitment to the president, and that’s why I say we will follow his example, and Why I think donors will follow your example.”
“We will be focusing on past DeSantis donors who have not yet given to President Trump,” he said. “We will try to extract these donors for him. This will create a lot of value.”
The AP noted that the Florida governor may be viewing the fundraising effort as an opportunity to score political points in the future when, if Trump wins in November, he will not be able to run again in 2028.
The Hill reached out to DeSantis’ team. A spokesperson for DeSantis said in a text to the AP that “we are actively working on plans to raise funds in support of President Trump as well as other Republicans on the ballot.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
