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.
🔝🔝🔝
What is the effective price of one of those drinks?
Are they serving Kool-Aid?
“”kakistocracy” - a society governed by its least suitable or competent citizens”
Idiocracy is not just a Movie....
He is only undeclared.
He can’t come out and say he’s running.
He’s running.
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Thomas Massie, liberaltarian that hates Trump
Utah Sen. Mike Lee, the original NeverTrumper
Adam Laxalt, a longtime DeSantis friend.
Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, talks a good game but usually sides with the establishment Republicans
Nothing surprising here.
Wow, I didn't know Trump ran for Senate in 2022. That #MSM felcher and anti-Trumper, anti-conservative Isenscheisse is a genius writer, isn't he, droop? He mangles grammar and syntax exactly like you!
Politico is leftist dribble.
Nothing has changed. President Trump is still the most popular candidate. Period.
Exactly. It’s stories like this that piss off even more people.
Not one of those mentioned were any that drove hours and waited hours to see Pres Trump speak
The writer acts as if the voters in the states whose reps attended, are going to blindly vote for they’re told to vote for.
Cotton tells Arkansas to dutifully vote for DeSantis. Not buying that one.
Time will tell. If/when DeSantis announces, his rallies will demonstrate where he stands with the people that matter.
If he starts filling stadiums and arenas with 1000s watching outside, we’ll know. Until then let all these people expose themselves for the RINOs they all really are.
They used to be Trump's donors.
You must be a special kind of stupid.
Jim Lamon ran for senate, losing the primary race to Blake Masters.
XD XD
Ron DeSantis is considering the Presidency in his future.
The question here is “When?” Getting into a very expensive and divisive fight with Donald Trump at this juncture only divides the Trump base, to no lasting benefit to either DeSantis or Trump.
So far, Trump has not stumbled or given himself any lasting wounds, and there is high probability that he shall maintain this margin right through the primary season, resulting in his coronation, er, nomination for the office of the President of the United States on the Republican ticket.
But if, and this is a very big “if”, Trump meets some heavy headwinds directed at his age and reflecting some very damaging opposition research, enough to tarnish the Trump brand, then DeSantis is a potential “Plan B”. Such a bid would come quite late in the primary cycle, with perhaps limited probability of success.
But beyond that, DeSantis is almost perfectly placed to be virtually assured front-runner for the 2028 campaign. As I have noted previously, DeSantis has a state to run for the next two years, and Florida needs him to consolidate and firm up the Republican gains made in his service as Governor up to now.
Damn near no one has an oath to 270. For crying out loud.
Don’t say you’re looking for someone else when all you do is blather about DeSantis.
DeSantis, admittedly, has done some really good things down there. And he has momentum.
My question to you, Drew68: how successful would he be if, even half the state legislature and county governments were Democrats? And that’s on the light side.
Given that Pres Trump had the ENTIRE federal monster and damn near ALL of Congress working against him at every turn.
Oh wait….DeSantis will sprinkle his Magic Dust and all will be well, right?
Think of the math, for a moment. He won by 400k votes, after 883,000 Republicans moved. If all those folks had not taken their police and fire pensions to Florida he probably isn’t the Governor. But wait, they moved to Florida because of him.
They moved to Florida because of covid nonsense, some of which he pushed as well, and no state income tax, better weather, lower tax burden and jobs. All the latter was happening already and had been happening for decades.
I recall Trump bashing Massie when Massie didn't support him on the Covid Cash handouts in 2020.
If Trump begins doing similar small group encounters this time, instead of rallies, he’ll be unbeatable.
At least as unbeatable as a candidate can be in an election where the outcome is rigged against him.
That was my take from the Politico headline too.
But no.
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