President Donald Trump met privately with Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis for several hours in Miami on Sunday, according to reports.
The secretive meet-up was first reported by the Washington Post.
The meeting was also reportedly confirmed to Fox News by “multiple Republicans with knowledge of the meeting.”
During the meeting, DeSantis agreed to help Trump close his fundraising gap with Democrat President Joe Biden in their 2024 election rematch, the sources reportedly confirmed.
DeSantis was convincingly re-elected in 2022 before launching an unsuccessful bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
He has built up a formidable network of wealthy donors who could be helpful to Trump as the general election campaign heats up.
The Washington Post said the get-together between the two rivals was orchestrated by Steve Witkoff.
Witkoff is a Florida real estate broker known to both Trump and DeSantis.
Sources familiar confirmed to Fox News that the meeting was set up nearly 10 days ago.
It was initiated after DeSantis approached Witkoff.
The meeting appears to be the first time DeSantis and Trump met in person since the governor ended his White House bid in January.
It may also be the first time they have spoken.
The governor ended his campaign and endorsed Trump after a disappointing second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, far behind the 45th president.
DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign just two days ahead of the New Hampshire primary.
He has since endorsed Trump but, to date, DeSantis hasn’t campaigned on Trump’s behalf.
During a February call with supporters, the governor took aim at Trump and his top political advisers.
At the time, DeSantis said:
“I think he’s got people in his inner circle who were part of our orbit years ago that we fired, and I think some of that is they just have an ax to grind.”
In response, top Trump campaign aide Chris LaCivita called DeSantis a “sad little man.”
While many on Trump’s team and his wider political orbit may have turned against DeSantis, the 45th president may be more forgiving.
In January, after DeSantis endorsed him, Trump said that he would “officially retire” the “Ron DeSanctimonious” nickname.
Trump had used the name to mock the Florida governor after rumors of his presidential campaign begun to emerge.
https://slaynews.com/news/trump-holds-hours-long-private-meeting-desantis-florida/
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