BREAKING: Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis allegedly met privately this morning in Miami. pic.twitter.com/8LtX0s4gCVFormer President Donald Trump met privately with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for several hours on Sunday morning.
The meeting reportedly remained friendly.
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) April 28, 2024
A Trump campaign official told Politico it was a “good meeting set at the request of Gov. DeSantis.”
“It’s a great development and makes perfect sense for Trump, Desantis and all Republicans,” Roy Bailey, who was one of three finance chairs for DeSantis’ presidential campaign, told the outlet. “Gov. DeSantis had a really strong volunteer finance team and if we could plug that in and help Trump then that’s what we need to do — and want to do. It’s important to all get together and row in the same direction.”
The meeting marked the first time the two Republican powerhouses have spoken since the hostile primary.
According to the Washington Post, which broke the news of the meeting, it was orchestrated by Florida real estate investor and developer Steve Witkoff.
"The meeting was orchestrated by Steve Witkoff, a Florida real estate investor and developer, who both men know, and he attended. Witkoff called the former president’s team and asked for him to meet with DeSantis, a person familiar with the matter said."
The report notes that DeSantis has told allies he hopes to run again in 2028.
"In recent weeks, DeSantis held an event for donors at a resort in Florida, and people close to him said he is potentially interested in running for president again in 2028," the report explains. "During the Republican primary, Trump told advisers he wanted to hurt DeSantis for 2028, too. But he has moved his focus on to Biden and his criminal trial in recent weeks, and Trump allies say he would favorably view DeSantis raising money for him."
During the 2024 primary, DeSantis' team ran an extremely angry and bitter campaign against Trump supporters on social media, which isolated many potential future allies.
Since dropping out of the race, DeSantis has not campaigned for Trump and has repeatedly ruled out being his vice president.
