After a sometimes rancorous Republican primary, former President Donald Trump and current Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have apparently buried the hatchet.
“I am very happy to have the full and enthusiastic support of Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social account late Monday afternoon.
“We had a great meeting yesterday, arranged by mutual friend Steve Witkoff, at his beautiful Shell Bay Club in Hollywood, Florida,” he explained, referring to a Florida real estate developer.
Trump, without once referring to the Republican governor as “Ron DeSanctimonious” even once, said that the two would be working together for the benefit of both Florida and the entire nation.
“The conversation mostly concerned how we would work closely together to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN,” Trump wrote (emphasis original throughout). “Also discussed was the future of Florida, which is FANTASTIC!”
The former president also expressed his gratitude for the support of the Republican governor and said he looked forward to “taking back our Country from the Worst President in the History of the United States,” an obvious jab at President Joe Biden.
“November 5th is a BIG DAY!!!” he concluded, referring to Election Day.
Citing unnamed sources, The Washington Post reported on the Sunday meeting between the two men, speculating that they may have spoken about DeSantis as a possible running mate for Trump.
The pair spoke for several hours in what was described as a friendly meeting, according to The Washington Post.
The report said both men had a reason to meet. For Trump, whose legal battles are draining time and resources, access to the DeSantis donor network would be a plus, as would having DeSantis energize Republicans.
“There is an incentive for DeSantis to form a closer relationship, as well,” the Post wrote. “People close to DeSantis have said it is untenable for him to continue to have a strained relationship with Trump, particularly as he eyes his political future.
“He is widely viewed among Republican donors and consultants as weakened after a shellacking by Trump in the primary,” the report added.
DeSantis has been on some lists of potential Trump running mates, a fluid list of names that has evolved with input from Trump’s hints and unabashed media speculation.
A report from Axios had previously indicated that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum has been gaining traction as a potential bridge to moderates.
The report indicated that Burgum could help Trump connect with undecided voters, suggesting it was a sign of Trump’s favor that Burgum and his wife attended an Easter brunch at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
In fact, Trump posted about Burgum on his Truth Social account about three minutes before he mentioned DeSantis, for whatever that information may be worth.
In his post, Trump quoted the governor of North Dakota as saying in reference to the anti-Israel protests currently occurring on U.S. college campuses, “If President Trump was in office right now and we were leading through strength abroad, we would not be seeing this on our campuses today.”