Former President Donald Trump made a surprise appearance at a local pizzeria in Fort Myers, Florida, on Friday night, energizing a crowd of supporters after offering them a half-eaten piece of pizza he was enjoying.
Trump made the stop at Downtown House of Pizza after giving a lengthy speech at the Lee County Lincoln-Reagan earlier that night, surprising the restaurant workers and attracting a large crowd. The former president showed off the slice before taking a large bite and jokingly offering it to the crowd.
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“Does anyone want a piece of the slice I’ve eaten?” he said, which was met by laughs and yells of “No!”
Trump stopped at a pizza place tonight after giving a speech in Fort Myers and handed out slices to supporters. He then took a bite out of a slice of pepperoni pizza and said, “Does anybody want a piece that I’ve eaten?” pic.twitter.com/KoZYAzuhma
— Kate Sullivan (@KateSullivanDC) April 22, 2023
Trump’s late-night snack came after the former president ripped into several of his political opponents as well as enemies, such as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who indicted Trump on a slew of criminal charges earlier this month. Trump has focused much of his campaign messaging on the legal woes and criminal investigations he faces, hoping to use them as a way to fire up emotions among his voter base.
At one point in his speech, Trump vowed to require “every federal employee to pass a new civil service test” as a way to “stop the local Marxist prosecutors who release rapists and murderers while prosecuting conservatives.” The comment was a shot at Bragg, building on campaign promises from Trump to replace liberal prosecutors with conservatives should he be elected.
“[I will] direct the DOJ to investigate every radical DA and attorney general in the country for their illegal racist in reverse enforcement of the law,” Trump said.
Trump also took a fair number of shots at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is rumored to be considering a White House bid against the former president. Trump took credit for DeSantis being elected governor in 2018, hammering down on a talking point he has repeated over the last several weeks.
“It was like a rocket ship after I gave him [my endorsement] because otherwise, right now, you'd have a lawyer someplace looking for business,” Trump said.
DeSantis has not yet indicated whether he intends to run for president, but the Florida governor is expected to make a decision shortly after the Florida legislature adjourns in May. The anticipated decision comes as DeSantis has been slipping in the polls in recent weeks as Trump ramps up attacks against the Florida governor and benefits from increased media exposure over his criminal indictment.
More than half (51%) of Republican voters say they’d back Trump compared to just 38% who said they’d vote for DeSantis, giving the former president a substantial lead over his closest rival, according to a recent poll from the Wall Street Journal. The polling shows significant growth for Trump, who trailed DeSantis by 14 points in a similar poll in December.
However, DeSantis benefits from higher favorability ratings among GOP voters, with a majority of Republicans acknowledging he would have a better chance of defeating President Joe Biden in the general election. About 41% say DeSantis would be a stronger opponent compared to just 31% who say the same for Trump, the poll showed.
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DeSantis has spurred talks of a forthcoming presidential announcement after the Florida governor met with several GOP lawmakers in Washington, D.C., this week. However, that plan seemed to backfire in some cases after a handful of Republicans publicly endorsed Trump just hours after meeting with the Florida governor.
More than 50 Republican House members have endorsed Trump for the GOP nomination compared to just three for DeSantis. Among those, 10 Republican House members from DeSantis’s home turf in Florida have offered their support to Trump over the state’s governor.