Trump And DeSantis Meet Secretly Behind Closed Doors

(Daily360.com) Former GOP presidential primary rivals Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump had a private meeting in Miami to discuss fundraising opportunities. The Florida Governor and former President were the top two contenders in a contentious race until DeSantis dropped out just days before the New Hampshire primary.

President Trump formerly endorsed DeSantis when the Governor first got elected into the highest government office in Florida during the 2018 campaign. DeSantis easily won his re-election campaign in 2022. DeSantis has been a national figure for the Republican party for leading on issues that are important to the party’s voters. With that notoriety, he launched his campaign to run against former President Trump to get the GOP nomination.

Following DeSantis’ exit from the race, Trump said he would stop using the nickname Ron “desanctimonious.” DeSantis contacted Trump’s campaign team through a mutual connection, Steven Witkoff. Witkoff is a Florida Real Estate agent. Through Witkoff’s mediation, DeSantis contacted Trump two weeks before the meeting to get past their differences to work together for the good of the Republican party.

The meeting lasted for several hours and DeSantis said he would assist Trump in fundraising efforts to help oust Biden as the sitting president in the November election. The meeting was the first time the two former rivals spoke or met since the GOP primary campaign ended.

The day after the meeting, Trump posted that he is excited to have the support of the Florida governor in his presidential campaign. Speculation surrounded the meeting because Trump has yet to announce a vice presidential candidate for this campaign, but DeSantis has said that he is not interested. Some other names that have been speculated are Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum.

Former Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard is also being considered for the position. She has said that she would accept the role if it was offered to her, because she wants to be a part of the solution to the many problems facing the country.