Posted on 02/25/2023 2:48:03 PM PST by Drew68
The group of Ron DeSantis’ top donors and supporters gathering in Palm Beach, Fla., this weekend includes some longtime backers of former President Donald Trump.
The Florida governor’s three-day retreat at the Four Seasons hotel — just four miles down the road from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate — kicked off Friday evening with a cocktail reception and dinner for the approximately 150 attendees. The event, billed as a celebration of the “Florida blueprint,” precedes a likely DeSantis presidential bid that would pit him against Trump. And the roster of people there shows that the governor is appealing to major GOP figures who’ve previously aligned themselves with the former president.
People spotted at the opening night of the conference included Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, who on Friday evening participated in a panel discussion DeSantis moderated on the “medical establishment.” Johnson has long been a staunch Trump ally: On Jan. 6, 2021, Johnson tried to arrange for a list of fake electors backing Trump to be handed to then-Vice President Mike Pence.
A Johnson spokesperson, however, said Johnson did not intend to endorse in the primary.
“Sen. Johnson historically does not endorse in primaries and plans to continue this trend and remain impartial in 2024,” said Corinne Day, a Johnson spokesperson.
Also seen was Arizona Republican Jim Lamon, a solar energy executive and Trump donor who aggressively aligned himself with the former president during his unsuccessful 2022 Senate bid. Lamon was also involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results showing President Joe Biden defeated Trump. Lamon was one of 11 GOP electors who signed a document claiming to be Arizona’s legitimate electors, which was mailed to the Senate and the National Archives.
Mick Mulvaney, who was Trump’s acting White House chief of staff, was also seen at the DeSantis retreat. Mulvaney left the administration following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and he has harshly criticized the former president over his decision to wage a 2024 comeback, saying Trump is “the only Republican who could lose” the election.
Another major figure in the Republican donor world who attended DeSantis’ event is Roy Bailey, a longtime Texas fundraiser who helped lead Trump’s campaign finance committee. And the event also included several of DeSantis’ fellow governors, including Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who benefited from a Trump-hosted fundraiser during his reelection bid last year, and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, who was also backed by Trump in his 2022 reelection campaign.
“Gov. Stitt believes Ron DeSantis has done an excellent job leading as Florida’s governor, especially through COVID, supporting law enforcement, reforming education and supporting parental rights,” said Carly Atchison, a spokesperson for Stitt, who met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last year.
The retreat comes as DeSantis is increasing his national profile. The governor is set to publish a new book on Tuesday, and this past week, he appeared before law enforcement officers in Philadelphia, New York City and Chicago. DeSantis is also benefiting from a newly launched nonprofit group that could promote his policies. Those present at the conference said DeSantis made no mention of whether he planned to run for president, though many of those in attendance said they were eager to see him do so.
On Saturday, DeSantis is to hold another panel discussion with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, whose home state hosts the GOP’s first presidential nominating contest. A person close to Reynolds, however, said the governor did not plan to endorse in the primary. Reynolds, who chairs the Republican Governors Association, has also appeared with former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott in Iowa.
Other attendees spotted in the crowd included Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, Texas Rep. Chip Roy, Utah Sen. Mike Lee and 2022 Nevada Senate candidate Adam Laxalt, a longtime DeSantis friend. Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, a Trump ally who was once seen as a potential Trump administration CIA director, is another attendee. Conservative commentators Ann Coulter and Dana Loesch were also present.
The retreat caps off a major week in the Republican donor world. On Thursday evening, Trump hosted a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, and on Friday, several prospective presidential candidates gathered in Austin, Texas, for a donor conference organized by longtime GOP strategist Karl Rove.
So many RINOs < /s>
—> The Florida governor’s three-day retreat
… but! DeSeepers insisted he isn’t running!
Oh. I thought they were talking about actual voters.
IMO, RDS is emerging as the GOPe candidate.
FUGEDDABOUDDITT.
Big mistake Ron.
Most of the names mentioned in this article were never Trump backers.
Pretty much my entire circle of friends have been rabid Trump supporters since he came down the escalator. None of them are now.
Politico and the Hill are notorious for fomenting division.
I’m torn. I would not have attended out if respect for Trump. Attendees are making a statement.
Were they lost? Did they ask why this Hojo's doesn't have fried clams?
HAHA. HAHAAAAAAAAHHHH. AAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHKOOFKOOFAHAHAHAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
AAAAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAKOOFAHAHAHAKOOFKOFFAAHAAAAHAHAHHHHHHHHHHH
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHAAAAA
I’m so used to establishment sources hopefully writing Trump’s obituary it doesn’t really matter to me what they say now. I’ll just wait for the election.
Taht’s a very #MAGA crowd.
“DeSeepers insisted he isn’t running!”
I know about insisting that DeSantis is the not running but he really hasn’t made a commitment and it’s still two years out.
DeSantis might not run, he might like wearing his cowboy boots down there in Florida and stumping. He seems to be enjoying himself. I know he appears to like rubbing Democrat noses in the steaming piles of their failing metropolitan areas. That can’t be a bad thing.
The donor class wants Ron? Alrighty then.
He isn’t — yet.
Florida has a Resign to Run law. There is a movement to repeal it.
Let's see, what's in Palm Beach?
Oh, yeah. Mar-a-Lago.
I supported Trump enthusiastically in 2016 and 2020 but I'm looking elsewhere. Blasphemy to many here, I know.
I just don't believe he has a path to 270. If Trump's handpicked midterm candidates had done better in the critical battleground states that he needs to flip, I'd be singing a different tune.
But they didn't. In almost every case, they were soundly rejected.
Ah, you figured it out
Politico is just Dem propaganda.
(no offense intended)
Just saying The New York Times has weighed in as well
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