Associated Press
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and Gov. Ron DeSantis are signaling to donors that they are putting their rivalry behind them after a contentious and often personal Primary fight.
DeSantis convened his allies this week in Fort Lauderdale to press them to raise money to support Trump, making the case over a seafood and steak dinner that they need to work together to prevent Democratic President Joe Biden from winning a second term. The Governor and about 30 people then spent Thursday morning in a hotel conference room raising money for an outside group that supports the former president’s 2024 White House campaign.
Trump called into the gathering to thank members of the group for their work, according to four people familiar with the matter who were not authorized to publicly discuss the private session and spoke on condition of anonymity.
In what three people present described as a warm and gracious call to the group that was heard over speakerphone, Trump praised DeSantis and the effort, saying “Ron, I love that you’re back.”
A reconciliation helps both of them. Trump is trying to make up fundraising ground against Biden while DeSantis hopes to preserve a potential future White House run for which Trump’s supporters could be key.
DeSantis and his top donors are raising money for the super political action committee Right for America, backed by big Republican donors such as Ike Perlmutter, who has agreed to match at least a portion of the DeSantis team’s fundraising rather than funneling money directly to Trump’s campaign.
“This is where I want you to focus,” Trump said in a roughly 15-minute call, according to a senior political adviser to DeSantis who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private meeting and spoke on condition of anonymity.
DeSantis’ decision to push money to the PAC instead of giving directly to Trump’s campaign has raised eyebrows among some Trump campaign officials, according to a person familiar with the former President’s campaign thinking who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the arrangement.
Right for America is competing for donors with MAGA Inc., the chief super PAC backing Trump. Such groups are prohibited from directly coordinating with a presidential campaign, something that hamstrung DeSantis during his presidential run due to conflicts between his campaign and his support of Never Back Down, the largest super PAC backing DeSantis’ candidacy.
Other supporters of both men support the arrangement. Right for America is run by Sergio Gor, a longtime Trump ally who is close to the former President’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. The two run Winning Team Publishing, which published two of the former president books.
Some DeSantis donors had been reluctant to give to Trump because they worried their money would help pay Trump’s lawyers in his criminal cases instead of being used directly to focus on beating Biden.
A number of big-name Florida contributors who have given to DeSantis remain hesitant about contributing to efforts to support Trump, said Al Hoffman, a Palm Beach County Republican donor and former Republican National Committee Finance Chair.
“I know that there are Republican conservative, big-money donors that are very reluctant to endorse Trump,” said Hoffman, who was also Chair of former Gov. Jeb Bush’s 2002 re-election campaign.
DeSantis endorsed Trump when he dropped out of the race and promised in a face-to-face meeting with the former president in April to work for his campaign. The 45-year-old Governor, who has won two terms and pushed a longtime swing state increasingly to the right, may run for the White House again and would need the backing of Trump voters in a future Republican Primary.
DeSantis called his allies to Fort Lauderdale this week to raise money for Trump, telling them on Wednesday night that they needed to work to prevent a second Biden term.
The meeting was the kickoff for what is expected to be a coast-to-coast fundraising effort by DeSantis allies, with upcoming events likely in Texas, California, Washington state and perhaps New York.
Trump and DeSantis have also discussed a role for the governor at the Republican National Convention. Aides to DeSantis said it was Trump’s suggestion and was not contingent on any fundraising effort on DeSantis’ part.
Donors who discussed the Thursday event were struck by the collegiality between Trump and DeSantis during the call to the meeting. One person who spoke on condition of anonymity about the closed-door gathering called the conversation “very gracious” and noted that Trump and DeSantis talked about golf, a favorite Trump pastime.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
31 comments
My Take
May 23, 2024 at 4:36 pm
Regusting.
Michael K
May 23, 2024 at 4:56 pm
So Rhonda burned through $160 million of other people’s money, only to permanently affix his lips to the amply indicted behind of Hair Furor, with help to pay his former opponent’s legal bills (with more other people’s money)? How is this not a cult and a scam?
Dont Say FLA
May 23, 2024 at 5:02 pm
Hair Furor 😀
rick whitaker
May 23, 2024 at 5:17 pm
MICHAEL K, how is it that the voters of florida don’t see desantis for what he is, unless they like what they see. where is the sanity. is florida water that bad ? i’m asking questions that i know the answer to. excuse me, i’m upset with the gop ruining my country.
Impeach Biden
May 23, 2024 at 5:54 pm
GOP ruining the country? You got that one wrong. Joe Biden is a Democrat. Look at our Southern Border. Look at our foreign policy debacle. Look at inflation and fuel prices. Look at city crime. Joe Biden is a Democrat. We need a change of parties and a change of leadership.
Dom
May 23, 2024 at 6:31 pm
Certainlydoesnotinclude DT orDeSantis,both untrustworthy snakes.
All of you who supported DT tanking the bipartisan border package shoukd just shut uo about the border. You cannot have it both ways . Tanking the best package for the border, which included more agents at the border, earns you the right to keep your mouth closed. Putting/choosing Greyed Old Politicians and moronic individuals like MTG over this country is far from patriotic, no matter how many tines you all use it at rallies.
Impeach Biden
May 23, 2024 at 6:34 pm
On day one of his administration Joe Biden signed Executive Orders basically signaling to illegals world wide to come, and they did. He could shut it down now but won’t. Now if a Repub was President do you think the Demos would go along with that legislation? Nope
rick whitaker
May 23, 2024 at 7:31 pm
DOM, i’m not too worried about “greyed old” politicians, because i respect wisdom, but an orange politician or a moron, no way.
Hung Wiil
May 24, 2024 at 8:52 pm
Dom
You’re wrong tool. We can have it both ways. The bill sucked. Dems have turned against it. Check the FACTS
rick whitaker
May 23, 2024 at 7:38 pm
HOWLER MONKEY, shut up the racket, you’re annoying.
Impeach Biden
May 23, 2024 at 8:09 pm
Just trying to help. You seemed confused on who is actually ruining the country.
rick whitaker
May 23, 2024 at 9:02 pm
HOWLER MONKEY, i was talking about florida, you know don’t you, people like desantis, scott, rubio, patronis, dunn, bean, simpson, moody, gaetz, rutherford, cammack, waltz, nunez, you know, the politicians of florida usa, our country. i could name every gop politician that i think is ruining my country, but since we are posting on FP, then i think the list of politicians from florida will suffice. anyway, maga cultist own florida, and our country needs it back. you just don’t understand.
Impeach Biden
May 23, 2024 at 9:31 pm
Do you really want me to list the Demo politicians ruining this country? There are lots of them. Let’s start with a few city mayors. ATL, DC, Chicago, New Orleans, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and many others. In Congress of course there is the squad, Maxine Waters, Nadler, Hank Johnson, Wasserman—Schultz and of course many others. In the Senate we have Hirono, Warren, Markley, Gillibrand and of course many others. Once again just trying to educate you my old and senile friend.
Impeach Biden
May 24, 2024 at 6:21 am
Oh and on a local government level, look up Tania Fernandes Anderson. Now there is a hateful, racist Demo only you could be proud of.
JD
May 24, 2024 at 7:14 am
Funny how you bring up Tania Fernandes Anderson, given there’s a fox news article less than a few hours old, Hannah Grossman.
Impeach Biden
May 24, 2024 at 7:56 am
Well it is in the news now isn’t it? You read and watch Fox News eh?
JD
May 24, 2024 at 8:08 am
Because you wrote it Hannah / Impeach is how you actually knew about it.
Elvis Pitts "The Big Voice On The Right" American
May 24, 2024 at 8:40 am
Good Mornting Sage Patriots,
I would like to appoligise for Rick as he left The Most Beloved Name off his list in his above post of “MOST BELOVED POLITICOS”.
I, Elvis [FKA Earl] Pitts American, postulate that Rick must have has a “Brain Fart” and just forgot to add the name of Elvis Pitts American to his listing of The Most Beloved.
Lets all forgive Rick as he is getting up there in the years and oldsters often forget very important stuff.
Thank you one and all,
EPA
Impeach Biden
May 24, 2024 at 9:04 am
JD,
So you think I am Hannah? That’s funny. Thanks for the morning laugh. Many here think I’m Pushaw as well. Then there is the pervert from Tennessee that thinks I’m a teenage girl. Where do you libs come up with these conspiracy theories.
JD
May 24, 2024 at 9:22 am
Again IB, thinking I’m a lib. Maybe classically liberal, but not your definition by any means.
Hung Wiil
May 24, 2024 at 8:49 pm
We like it, ricky
rick whitaker
May 24, 2024 at 9:09 pm
HUNG, i’m sure you do.
Qristian Qanon Quckold
May 24, 2024 at 4:35 pm
Qristian scam for groomers.
Dont Say FLA
May 23, 2024 at 5:02 pm
Fakey fakers always have nice conversations, but what did they each say after saying goodbye and disco’ing their (undoubtedly) perfect call?
Blog
May 23, 2024 at 5:22 pm
😋 yummy surf and turf with flaming rum melons 😋
How much was that donation did it include line dancing 😮
Blog
May 23, 2024 at 5:45 pm
However my way or the highway with Ron is not working for me 😭😔
My Take
May 23, 2024 at 6:34 pm
Will DeScamus be able to resist a high appointment if Trump steals his way back in?
Would benefit his Lt. Gov too.
Elvis Pitts "The Big Voice On The Right" American
May 23, 2024 at 8:41 pm
Good evening Dook 4 Brains Leftys,
I, Elvis [FKA EARL] Pitts American, just watched the Sage Trump Rally in The Bronks.
Its over for you Dooks. Your “Dook Fantisey” will be over in just a few short months.
My Sage advice to you Dooks is for those of you that still are able is to Relax Your Sphincters as much as you are able. Because after Jan. 20, 2025 none of you Dooks will be able to relax your Sphincters for a long ….. long ….. long ….. time.
Thsnk you Dook 4 Brains Leftys,
EPA
Thank you Dook 4 Brains Leftys,
rick whitaker
May 23, 2024 at 11:38 pm
EARL/ELVIS SHITS once again, the sphincter man has spoken. what a loser.
Impeach Biden
May 24, 2024 at 9:05 am
Up late and looking at kiddie porn I bet.
Jailbird Trump
May 24, 2024 at 4:36 pm
How are you online in prison?!?
Comments are closed.