Almost immediately after dropping out of the Republican presidential primary in January, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis bent the knee to his subduer by endorsing former President Donald Trump. It was a humiliating end to a campaign that saw the onetime golden child of the GOP completely dominated in a bitter race filled with a never-ending parade of mocking slights and belittling attacks from his would-be predecessor. His subjugation deepened Sunday with the news that DeSantis and Trump broke bread in a private breakfast.
In his tightening embrace of Trump, DeSantis isn’t clinging to any sort of principle, just a need to be in proximity to power.
In the past, this sort of willingness to let bygones be bygones among former rivals could be seen as a point in favor of democracy. After all, being able to put aside differences and work together for common goals is a welcome change of pace to the sort of lingering political strife and turmoil that once led countries to civil war. But in his tightening embrace of Trump, DeSantis isn’t clinging to any sort of principle, just a need to be in proximity to power.
The morning meeting at a Florida golf club, which was first reported by The Washington Post, was the first time the two men had spoken since DeSantis’ withdrawal after his third-place finish in the Iowa caucuses. There was no love lost between them during the race, with DeSantis only slowly realizing that he needed to hammer at Trump in the face of a tirade of mockery and attacks from the former president. The wounds were still fresh in February when DeSantis voiced a laundry list of concerns he still had with Trump during a call with supporters. That included skepticism about how Trump will choose a potential running mate, which prompted a fiery rebuttal from the front-runner’s campaign. “Ron DeSantis failed miserably in his presidential campaign and does not have a voice in selecting the next vice president of the United States,” a spokesperson said in response.
It’s incredible how much things can change in just a few short weeks. Earlier this month, NBC News reported that DeSantis had told supporters and donors that he was willing to help fundraise for Trump. When DeSantis’ name was first being talked about as a presidential candidate, he was promoting himself as the rightful heir to Trumpism, and he managed to pull together a pool of wealthy donors to bankroll his efforts. While the cash flow dried up as it became clear that he was being steamrolled by Trump, it’s likely that many of DeSantis’ major supporters will follow his lead and support the party’s nominee with their checkbooks.
The olive branch comes at an opportune time for Trump, given his campaign’s struggle to outraise President Joe Biden and the massive outflow of cash going toward his legal defense. The meeting came after weeks of negotiations between the camps courtesy of Steve Witkoff, a Florida real estate company owner with ties to both Republicans. In a sign, though, of how little Trump wants it to look like he needs DeSantis, a campaign official told NBC News that DeSantis reached out through Witkoff two weeks ago, seeking to set up a meeting to discuss fundraising and “bury the hatchet.”
As with so many things surrounding Trump, even the supposedly normal acts take on a dangerous sheen. Yes, of course, runner-up candidates will strive to help unite the party and bring their supporters back into the fold in the hopes of winning the general election. There is also a less than altruistic motive to these reconciliations. The defeated candidate typically hopes to have some impact on the direction of the party à la Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in 2016. With Trump, though, not only is there little chance DeSantis will influence his course of action, but his backing also shows either naivete of the threat Trump poses to democratic governance in this country or agreement with Trump’s plan.
For DeSantis, his attempts to play nice are more unprincipled than an outright embrace of autocracy would be.
For DeSantis, his attempts to play nice are more unprincipled than an outright embrace of autocracy would be. Instead, he is most likely angling himself to be Trump’s successor (for real this time) during a renewed run for the presidency in 2028. After all, he’s term-limited as governor and spent a lot of his political capital in his failed presidential bid. But Trump has previously been reported as wanting to punish DeSantis beyond the primary for his supposed betrayal in running against him.
It’s true that Trump doesn’t forgive easily — but he does love when people show remorse for what he views as disloyalty. Especially when that groveling comes with dollar signs attached to it. DeSantis is likely hoping that his donors opening up their wallets to Trump now will smooth the tension between their camps and open up a lane for him to finally claim the GOP nomination in four years.
It’s a bet that hinges on Trump not actually following through on his “joke” that he deserves a third term because of the (self-inflicted) turmoil of his first should he win in November. Given the willingness of the GOP to ignore, if not outright reward, his past attempts to overturn an election, tolerating Trump ignoring the 22nd Amendment over a second DeSantis run doesn’t seem that outlandish. It also depends on Trump letting go of a grievance and not making DeSantis a permanent punching bag. I’m not sure which one is the worse wager right now, but either way DeSantis is again proving himself to be a poor gambler.