Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis met Sunday for a golf course breakfast in an apparent attempt to thaw their relationship after the Republican primary.
The Florida governor was once considered the former president’s top rival in the Republican presidential primary dominated by Trump, with a platform that rested primarily on fighting the “woke” cultural forces of diversity, inclusion and tolerance.
However, a bungled presidential run meant DeSantis left the race after the Iowa caucus in January at the beginning of the primary. That left him in need of repairing his relationship with Trump – now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee – after aiming attacks at him for months.
The meeting in Hollywood, Florida, was first reported by the Washington Post. Steve Witkoff, a Trump ally, New York and Florida real estate developer, and donor who testified at the former president’s civil fraud trial in New York, reportedly brokered the meeting.
Relations have been frosty between DeSantis and Trump since the primary began.
Trump nicknamed the Florida governor “DeSanctimonious” during the race, and DeSantis at various times described Trump as unelectable.
Even after the primary, relations appeared tense. DeSantis at one point criticized those on Trump’s team as people “we fired”. Trump’s team shot back and called DeSantis a “sad little man”, according to the Washington Post.
However, Trump has proven to be transactional with rivals when necessary, and the former president also stands to benefit from improved relations with DeSantis. The Florida governor developed a network of wealthy donors to back his presidential run, moneyed supporters Trump needs to woo if he hopes to catch up to the fundraising of Joe Biden, the Democratic incumbent seeking a second term in the presidency.
Many in the donor class were apparently weary of Trump before the primaries even began. Some of the largest players financing ads criticizing the former president, who on Sunday was taking a break from being on trial in New York in a case centering on hush-money payments to an adult film actor that criminal court prosecutors allege were illicitly covered up.
Those are among more than 80 criminal charges pending against Trump, who is also accused of illegally trying to reverse his defeat to Biden in the 2020 election and of improperly retaining classified materials following his presidency.
Separately, Trump is facing multimillion-dollar civil penalties for business practices adjudicated as fraudulent and for an allegation that he raped a woman – a claim which a judge has deemed to be substantially true.
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Nonetheless, some of those who had previously aligned themselves against Trump began to reverse course as early as January. And a reconciliation with DeSantis may help more return to Trump’s orbit.
Improving relations with Trump is also an important goal for DeSantis, who apparently hopes to run for president again in 2028. To mount a serious effort to do so, DeSantis would need to maintain both his national profile and his large network of wealthy donors.
