In an effort to prevent them from endorsing former President Donald Trump for the president in 2024, aides to Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida have been calling other state politicians, according to NBC News.
According to sources close to four of the members of Florida’s congressional delegation, DeSantis’ team has contacted at least six of them. The team made the calls after four delegates publicly endorsed Trump’s run for president in 2024, requesting that the remaining six members refrain from doing the same.
According to NBC News, the state’s delegation has not officially endorsed DeSantis, who has not even declared his candidacy.
Although DeSantis is thought to be Trump’s biggest rival, new surveys indicate that Trump really has a significant lead in the upcoming Republican primary elections. Even though they were formerly close, the two guys have been openly fighting for months.
DeSantis was elected governor of Florida in 2019, and Trump has claimed credit for it, claiming that DeSantis would “probably be working either at a cigar store or a law firm” without his support.
DeSantis has also been attacked by the former president of “simple-minded thinking,” and he has attempted to compel him to quit by alleging that he used his governor’s salary to pay for unauthorized campaign travel.
I am honored to endorse President Donald J. Trump for President in 2024, and I ask my fellow Americans to join me today.
Read my entire statement here: https://t.co/OAsUwWuoUk pic.twitter.com/DwyTZ804mO
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) April 6, 2023
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Florida For Trump?
Reps. Aaron Bean, Vern Buchanan, Kat Cammack, Mario Diaz-Balart, Laurel Lee, and Greg Steube were the six individuals who received calls from DeSantis’ staff, according to NBC News.
According to sources cited by Time, Cammack, Buchanan, and Steube want to support Trump. It’s unclear whether the DeSantis call will prompt them to reconsider their thoughts or postpone any endorsements.
The representatives Cory Mills, Byron Donalds, Matt Gaetz, and Anna Paulina Luna are the four who have already endorsed Trump. Given their long-standing friendship and support for one another, Donald’s endorsement of Trump was particularly startling.
Mills claimed that Trump’s New York court appearance, which many Republicans have claimed was politically driven, had an impact on his endorsement.
There is definitely some angst from the DeSantis camp that so many members of the state’s congressional delegation are endorsing Trump, according to a GOP consultant for one of the lawmakers who was approached by DeSantis staffers.
“Gaetz going with Trump is one thing, but Byron’s endorsement of the former president undoubtedly rattled some cages,” they claimed.
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