Scott Powers
Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared he now has a partner in the White House and sent his congratulations through social media Wednesday morning to president-elect Donald Trump.
“Congrats to my friend @realDonaldTrump, our next president! Had a smooth election in FL. Look forward to having a partner in the White House,” Scott tweeted.
On Facebook Scott derided the “pundits and the so-called ‘smart’ people inside the beltway” for predicting Trump’s defeat, saying they did the same thing to him in 2010. He said they have no idea what is going on, and he predicted Trump will “harness the passion of Americans for turning Washington upside down and starting over.”
After refusing to back Florida’s favorite-son Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush or Marco Rubio in the primaries, Scott became an early supporter of Trump and chaired a super PAC backing him, Rebuilding America Now. Yet Scott was seldom seen on the campaign trail for Trump in Florida, particularly compared with some other prominent Florida Republicans such as Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Still, the two have strikingly similar stories: both ran as businessmen outsiders against the GOP establishment, and both won upset victories first in primaries and then in general elections.
Here is Scott’s full Facebook post from Wednesday morning:
“The pundits and the so-called “smart” people inside the beltway had already written the obituary of Donald Trump and the Republican Party. They said they were dead and gone … they did the same thing to me in 2010. I was the outsider. The Republican Party didn’t support me, and they spent a lot of money against me — and I won anyways because Floridians wanted a change. The same was true for Americans this year.
“I was honored to Chair the Rebuilding America Now PAC for Trump. We spent $20 million on TV ads for Donald Trump all across the country — we focused on PA, OH, WI, NC … and I have long said that Trump would have a big win in Florida.
“It turns out that the elites in Washington have no idea what is going on in this country. They are completely clueless. They are in complete shock right now. I love it.
“Donald Trump harnessed the passion of Americans for turning Washington upside down and starting over! I hope that is what he does now. He will have a lot of work to do. But, that’s exactly what Americans are demanding.”
