Donald Trump, the former U.S. President, and Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, who had previously clashed during the Republican presidential primaries, secretly met in Miami on the 28th (local time).
According to sources cited by The Washington Post, the two met for several hours in a friendly atmosphere, with Governor DeSantis agreeing to support the former president. Steve Witkoff, a Florida real estate broker and mutual acquaintance, reportedly arranged the meeting. A source said, “Witkoff contacted Trump’s side to request a meeting with DeSantis.”
It appears that former President Trump is trying to solve his campaign’s funding shortage by winning over supporters of Governor DeSantis. Trump’s camp struggles financially due to legal costs from various civil and criminal trials. As of the end of March, Trump’s camp had $97.2 million in campaign funds, far behind Biden’s camp, which had $193 million. The Washington Post reported, “DeSantis has built a wide network of wealthy patrons whose assistance would be valuable in helping Trump try to close the gap, and is popular with some Republican voters who are exhausted by Trump.”
For Governor DeSantis, improving relations with Trump, who has significant influence within the party, seems beneficial considering his political future. When Governor DeSantis ran for election in Florida in 2018, the relationship between the two was friendly. However, after former President Trump’s re-election failure, a high-intensity check began as Governor DeSantis emerged as a strong competitor. Throughout the Republican primary, former President Trump criticized Governor DeSantis as a disloyal person and labeled personnel who went to Governor DeSantis’ election team as traitors.
However, Governor DeSantis appears to have determined that improving relations with former President Trump would be beneficial considering the 2028 presidential election. In recent weeks, DeSantis has also hosted fundraising events at a Florida resort, interpreted as his eyeing the Republican presidential nomination. Close associates of Governor DeSantis said, “Considering his political future, maintaining a tense relationship with Trump is virtually impossible,” and “after Trump’s attacks, DeSantis’ influence within the Republican Party was weakened.”
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