Former President Donald Trump is under the impression that Ron DeSantis’ fundraising efforts are failing, despite a new report suggesting the Florida governor is pulling in massively more donations than Trump currently.
That was revealed in a Friday Politics report how DeSantis managed to amass $110 million of campaign war chest that would go toward a presidential bid, compared to Trump’s $55 million that would be available by the end of 2022.
But Trump claimed “off the record” that Republican donors are, in fact, abandoning DeSantis and are instead supporting his own 2024 presidential campaign.
Trump made the claims during an hour-long conversation The War Room podcast hosted by his former adviser and right-wing media personality Steve Bannon, on Friday.
Trump criticized DeSantis, who is seen as his biggest rival within the Republican Party, although he has not yet declared his candidacy for the 2024 presidential campaign.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has raised $110 million in donations for his potential 2024 presidential bid, surpassing Donald Trump’s $55 million
Speaking to Steve Bannon, right, Donald Trump claimed that DeSantis is ‘failing badly’ with GOP donors now abandoning him to support Trump’s campaign instead
Despite DeSantis’ recent fundraising success, Trump claimed he is “failing badly,” referring to the governor by his given nickname of “Ron DeSanctimonious.”
Trump insisted that donors leave DeSantis and call him instead.
“The donors are largely abandoning him now, you know,” Trump said.
“I think so,” Bannon agreed.
The reason for the move, Trump said, was that donors were following the polls closely and decided that momentum is shifting and again with Trump.
“In fact, I’ll tell you off the record. Off the record, except for the millions of people who watch your show,” Trump joked. “But what’s happening is the donors are calling me now because the donors are following the polls and if they see a man getting beaten up…”
Trump chose to bring up the subject of money during the podcast, despite recent reports that DeSantis has raised more money than any other possible or declared candidate, including Trump.
Trump explained it as simply donors following the polls and seeing momentum shift back to Trump; DeSantis has not yet run for office
Trump reiterated his claim that he had saved DeSantis’ career, but called him a “crappy politician,” a term Trump had once used to describe himself during his 2016 campaign
Trump also reiterated his claim that he had saved DeSantis’ career, but called him a “crappy politician,” a term Trump had once used to describe himself during his 2016 campaign.
Ron DeSanctimonious. I mean, you know, it’s always bad, you’re supporting someone. He’s dead, he’s, he’s over, his political career. He is looking for a job. They are lucky if they get a job. Come to me, beg me for approval. I give it to him,” Trump said.
“He ends up winning the election, winning the nomination, winning the election with numbers you wouldn’t believe. I mean he was so far down, he was gone. And then a few years later, they yell at him, “Do you want to run against the president?” “I have no response.” No comment means the answer is yes, right?
“But something very interesting happened today. He said he will form a committee. He’s going to form an eexploratory committee [whether he should run]. That’s a big step, because he never looked at commissions. Now he looks at commissions. It’s amazing what 40 down does.’
Trump chose to bring up the subject of money during the podcast despite reports that DeSantis has raised more money than any other possible or declared candidate, including Trump
Ron DeSantis was reportedly eyeing the first two weeks of June to formally jump into the presidential race. Pictured, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis arrives at the State Department on Friday to visit the British Foreign Secretary in London
DeSantis looks to the first two weeks of June to formally jump into the presidential race, This is reported by Bloomberg News citing people familiar with the deliberations.
The governor and his team are considering a campaign kickoff in Dunedin, the Florida governor’s hometown, or in Ohio or Pennsylvania, swing states where he has family ties.
DeSantis has said publicly that he has still not made up his mind to run for president this cycle. But he has gone on a book tour to the important states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Michigan, which many see as a prelude to a presidential campaign.
However, he is trailing former President Donald Trump in the polls for the GOP nomination. And there are rumors among Republican donors that they may not support Florida’s governor because they question his qualifications.
Trump is focused almost exclusively on berating DeSantis, whom he has attacked for policy stances on entitlement reform, his loyalty to conservative causes, and even his character.
While DeSantis has largely ignored Trump’s jabs, a pro-DeSantis super political action committee, Never Back Down, began responding in paid advertising this month.
DeSantis is currently touring the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and Israel, intended to brush up on his foreign policy credentials.
He’s under fire from all sides – Trump has hammered on him on the campaign trail and back home in Florida, DeSantis is in a knife contest with the Walt Disney Company, one of the largest employers in the state.
Thursday a Fox News poll showed Trump with a whopping 32 point lead against DeSantis, who finished in second place, who earned 21 percent support versus the former president’s 53 percent.
Other than Trump and DeSantis, no other announced or potential Republican candidate received double-digit support from those polled in the new Fox News poll.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has not yet announced a candidacy, came in third behind Trump and DeSantis, earning 6 percent — and Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina and former Trump ambassador to the UN who is officially running for office. came fourth with 4 percent.
Longshot candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who made his millions in biotech and investment firms, comes in at 3 percent.
Meanwhile, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and former Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, both unannounced but rumored to be running a majority, are tied for sixth with 2 percent support among the Republican primary voters.