Former President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign is reportedly reaching out directly to Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) donors in an attempt to convince them to switch sides. [0]The Trump campaign has released a memo insisting that the former president will inevitably be the 2024 Republican presidential nominee.[1] In his first post-indictment poll, Trump was leading DeSantis in 2024, 57 percent to 31 percent, according to Yahoo/YouGov data. [2]This comes as DeSantis continues to boast impressive fundraising totals — the pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down revealed that it had raised $30 million between March 9 and Sunday. [3]However, the recent addition of seasoned advisers to his team and to an allied super political action committee have allayed some concerns, strategists and donors said, but the early rookie mistakes, as one Republican donor put it, may have rattled influential would-be backers.[4] DeSantis’ initial spark lost its intensity after he made a misguided comment stating that the conflict between Ukraine and Russia is merely a “territorial dispute” and does not hold any significant importance for the United States.[4] Republican commentators are becoming more and more concerned about his ability to handle the harsh scrutiny that comes with running a nationwide campaign.[5] His personal appeal is also a cause for unease.[5]
0. “Trump campaign trying to lure DeSantis’ top donors: report” New York Post , 6 Apr. 2023, https://nypost.com/2023/04/06/trump-campaign-trying-to-lure-desantis-top-donors/
1. “Trump campaign tries to poach some of DeSantis’s top donors: Report” msnNOW, 6 Apr. 2023, https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-campaign-tries-to-poach-some-of-desantiss-top-donors-report/ar-AA19wt6h
2. “Susie Wiles memo brags about Donald Trump’s ‘largest ever lead over Ron DeSantis'” Florida Politics, 3 Apr. 2023, https://floridapolitics.com/archives/600356-susie-wiles-memo-extols-donald-trumps-largest-ever-lead-over-ron-desantis
3. “Trump makes play for DeSantis donors – POLITICO” POLITICO, 5 Apr. 2023, https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/05/trump-makes-play-for-desantis-donors-00090713
4. “For DeSantis, Overflowing War Chest Obscures the Challenges Ahead” Yahoo News, 8 Apr. 2023, https://news.yahoo.com/desantis-overflowing-war-chest-obscures-144929078.html
5. “Ron Faucheux: Ron DeSantis’ big decision” NOLA.com, 7 Apr. 2023, https://www.nola.com/opinions/ron-faucheux-is-the-time-right-for-ron-desantis-to-run/article_8d8e5c2e-d4b8-11ed-a89a-87a535cce599.html
