Posted on 04/06/2024 7:50:51 PM PDT by conservative98
By KIMBERLY LEONARD
04/06/2024 09:38 PM EDT
HOLLYWOOD, Florida — Ron DeSantis is making nice with his most loyal donors and, at least over the weekend, ignored Donald Trump.
During a retreat in South Florida for the governor’s donors that featured golf, cigars and spa time, and little mention of the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee, DeSantis thanked and wooed the people who most avidly supported his presidential run. Part of the weekend was also to brainstorm how he could keep Florida front and center in the conservative movement with more than 2 and a half years left as governor.
Robert Salvador, a DeSantis donor, recalled the governor’s team “said, probably 10 different times, that we still have three years here to do all this. We have three years to make this a beacon of freedom and keep it a beacon of freedom.”
Yet left unsaid throughout the weekend was DeSantis’ ambitions for another presidential run and any substantial mention by the governor of Trump, his one-time rival for the Republican nomination who was also holding a massive fundraiser at the home of a Palm Beach billionaire just over an hour’s drive away. Trump is still living in Florida and often remains the biggest news story of the day.
While DeSantis kept his promise to endorse Trump immediately after dropping out of the presidential race, he hasn’t aggressively made the case that Trump needs to defeat President Joe Biden in November. In fact, it’s been the opposite: In previous interviews and earlier virtual meetings with donors, DeSantis hammered Trump over using “identity politics” for choosing a running mate and over his general election vulnerabilities. Trump and his campaign have clapped back by mocking DeSantis in brutal and personal ways.
But over the weekend at the event held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, DeSantis withheld criticizing the president and instead seemed focused on the remaining few years of his administration.
The Trump campaign declined to comment for this story, but the timing of the campaign irked some Republicans, who would like to see DeSantis embrace Trump more strongly as the former president tries to close a fundraising gap with Biden. Dennis Lennox, a Republican operative who helped organize a letter on behalf of Michigan state GOP lawmakers to get DeSantis to run for president, said the retreat’s timing — with part of it overlapping with the Trump event — “fuels a narrative that he is undercutting Trump.”
Another veteran GOP operative, granted anonymity to discuss the event without reprisal, said DeSantis’ event was a bad look while Republicans up and down the ticket were working to beat Democrats, especially with a six-week abortion ban DeSantis signed into law in Florida set to take effect in less than a month, one Democrats plan to try to use against the GOP.
“The optics are nuts,” said the person, who isn’t attending the retreat. “We have a presidential election going on. [DeSantis] couldn’t wait until after November? He’s starting his campaign for president in the middle of a presidential campaign. Another tone deaf move.”
continued at the link:
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/06/desantis-donors-florida-trump-00150924
Dukakis was described as a technocrat, same as DeSantis. Dukakis had a problem hiding his liberalism and fending off Lee Atwater. DeSantis can do it right if he doesn’t screw up. He’s still the real deal.
Right DeSantis needs to stop attacking Trump and issue an actual endorsement rather than just saying that a majority of Republicans favor Trump. Have yet to hear him say that he is supporting and voting for Trump.— Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) March 14, 2024
I’m still onboard with DeSantis in 2028, hopefully he learned some valuable lessons this time around.
Trump was talking trash to DeSantis. And it was unnecessary.
Plus DeSantis talks the talk. He doesn’t turn the other cheek like W. He should finish out his term.
Floridians worked towards and voted him in as a continuing governor!
All we request is for him to do the job!
There is much in Florida that needs attention and protection!
I, for one, was not pleased when he skipped the ‘Governor’ part and ran for President
I just want him to stay focused on Florida
There is no Governor DeSantis without MAGA.
The presumptive nominee is the head of the party.
Nice to see though that despite the worst campaign in US history, folks are still clinging.
When does the talking the talk start about rigged elections, weaponized govt, mass censorship etc.. begin? He was debating on national TV weekly-must have been an honest oversight.
I’m asking for 75million friends some of whom are locked up in the gulag.
>>”DeSantis does not owe Trump anything.”
It’s not about what DeSantis owes to Trump. It’s about what he owes to the MAGA base he claims to represent. If he can’t put personal feelings aside and support the presumptive nominee, then he’s not the statesman he pretends to be.
He should be raising money for Trump and the party if he gave a damn about the country.
Never would vote for DeSantis…he’s shown himself to be all I despise in politicians.
He’s a terrible candidate and is clearly in bed with Republican establishment and its donors as proven by his flop-flip on the war in Ukraine and his denial election fraud occurred in 2020.
It’s amazing how gullible some people are. They’re like Charlie Brown falling for the Uniparty’s football over and over again. DeSantis is as Establishment is it gets. People need to open their eyes and look around.
The Uniparty is showing the world who they fear, and it ain’t DeSantis. It’s the guy they tried to use the 14th Amendment to keep off the ballot. It’s the guy Letitia James is trying to bankrupt and Jack Smith, Alvin Bragg, and Fanni Willis are trying to throw into prison. And it’s the guy they’re buying off GOP House members to try to block from having his election certified.
>>”What is he raising money for?”
Good question.
I’ll never vote for him. He’s already showed me what a self-serving prig he really is.
Meatball is holding fire with his BB gun
I am aFloridian and I agree with you completely. DeSantis showed disloyalty not only to Trump but to all the people of Florida that just voted him in for a second term. He thought wow I just won this huge election, I must be the best ever, so I might as well run for president and slap all my constituents in the face. Didn’t work out too well. Didn’t do his reputation a bit of good. But he was a good governor and I hope he returns to being a good governor and gets the stars out of his eyes.
Personally, I think he ruined his chances of ever being president by acting the way he did. But we will see he might have time to redeem himself by 2028.
“ Personally, I think he ruined his chances of ever being president by acting the way he did. But we will see he might have time to redeem himself by 2028.”
****************************************************
Well, he’s now back to doing what he does best… WALKING THE WALK while many others merely talk the talk. Good on him!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.