TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hopes to raise at least $10 million as part of a multistate fundraising campaign for former President Donald Trump, a man he fought in a tough primary race, but with whom he now found a cautious truce.
“I think we believe that Biden needs to be defeated and that the governor is willing to lay down his sword,” said a top DeSantis adviser. “They had several good conversations recently, last week.”
Fundraising events will begin in July and will likely last through September, the DeSantis consultant said, with several events expected in Texas, California and Washington.
The plan is to explore states where DeSantis already had substantial networks of donors from his own presidential bid in order to quickly raise money for Trump.
“This happens in places where the infrastructure already exists for things like this,” the DeSantis consultant said.
The money raised will be used to fund media buys in key swing states targeted by Trump’s political orbit.
The fundraisers will technically be for Right for America, a pro-Trump super PAC started in January and led by Ike Perlmutter, the former president of Marvel Entertainment at Disney who is a longtime GOP rainmaker and supporter. politics of both Trump and DeSantis. The arrangement was first reported by the Associated Press.
The news outlet reported that Trump convened a donor event in South Florida hosted by DeSantis this month to praise his former political rival.
“Ron, I love that you’re back,” Trump said.
The committee has so far raised $13 million, of which $10.1 million has come from Perlmutter and his wife, Laura, according to campaign finance reports.
“Ike has been helpful over the years, so a lot of this made sense,” the DeSantis consultant said.
Anthony Lomangino, president of Southern Waste Systems and a longtime Trump donor, also donated $1 million to the super PAC.
A Perlmutter spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment, but last year told CNBC that he was prepared to make “significant” financial contributions to Trump’s 2024 White House bid.
The fundraisers are the latest example of the thawing relationship between Trump and DeSantis, who were longtime political allies after Trump endorsed DeSantis’ 2018 run for governor but ended up becoming bitter political enemies when the Republican presidential primaries. of 2024 have unfolded.
In April, DeSantis told supporters at a private event with donors he was willing to raise money for Trump’s presidential campaign. Later that month, he had breakfast with Trump at a golf club in South Florida, and the two have had a few conversations since then.
This article was originally published in NBCNews. with
