Ron DeSantis’ world tour continues: Florida governor meets British foreign secretary in London

Officially, Ron DeSantis is on a trade mission to represent Florida to the world.

Unofficially, supporters say the Florida governor is brushing up on his foreign policy credentials and meeting with key world leaders as he prepares for his presidency.

After a whirlwind ride through Japan, South Korea and Israel, DeSantis arrived in the UK on Friday, where he met Secretary of State James Cleverly.

Clearly, Cleverly thanked him for allowing cruise ships to dock in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the British Overseas Territories refused permission.

And while they talked about trade, their conversation turned to geopolitics, including the war in Ukraine and the threat from China.

DeSantis donor Dan Eberhart said the trip was timed to come just ahead of an expected announcement in 2024, when Florida’s legislative sessions end next month.

“This is a prologue to a presidential campaign. This is similar to what both George W. Bush and Jeb Bush did,” he said, naming two other governors running for president.

“The old stick about a governor is that they have no foreign policy experience.

“DeSantis tries to mitigate that as best he can before he has to share a debate stage.”

DeSantis is going through a rough few months. After a landslide re-election victory last year, he has seen former President Donald Trump rally Republican support and take a lead in the polls.

A Fox News poll this week gave Trump a 32-point lead over DeSantis when Republicans were asked who they wanted the nominee.

Eberhart, who helped raise $500,000 for Trump in 2020, said the trip would help DeSantis compete with the former president and the likes of Nikki Haley and Mike Pence who have foreign policy experience.

And he said it was time for DeSantis to strike back.

“It’s time he ran,” he said. “And he needs to stop this proto-campaign and just get in.”

DeSantis also met Kemi Badenoch, the British secretary of state’s affairs, on Friday. But there was no meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

British officials said it is not normal protocol for prime ministers to visit governors.

Instead, they pointed out that state ministers regularly meet with governors, including the recent visit of a deputy secretary to the winter meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C.

Still, his visit posed a diplomatic challenge to the British government, which wants to be hospitable but doesn’t risk drawing Trump’s wrath.

Friday’s meeting went beyond the usual trading topics. And including a thank you for allowing COVID-stricken cruise ships to dock in the early days of the pandemic when other ports had refused assistance.

Among them was the 230-meter long Zaandam, which had more than 200 British nationals on board. Passengers could not receive medical attention until it arrived in Fort Lauderdale in April 2020.

The decision to open his state early earned him admiration in Republican circles and cemented his rise to prominence and status as a contender in 2024.

DeSantis arrived from Jerusalem, where he delivered a keynote speech Thursday marking the 75th anniversary of the formation of the State of Israel.

“The task before us as Americans is to stand strong and candid with Israel and the Jewish people,” he said at a conference.

In Japan, he met Fumio Kishida, the Japanese Prime Minister and Chairman of the G7 Group of Industrialized Countries.

And in South Korea, he met Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

His trip drew criticism from the Trump 2024 campaign, which released an image depicting the days when DeSantis was not in Florida. Ron DeSantis has spent half of his time campaigning for president outside of Florida over the last two months…

However, DeSantis’ office rejected the allegation, pointing out that the trip was paid for by Enterprise Florida rather than the taxpayer.