Former President Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had a secret meeting in Miami on Sunday, according to various Republicans familiar with the matter.
During the several-hour conversation, DeSantis committed to assisting Trump as the GOP’s likely presidential nominee works to narrow his funding gap with President Biden in their 2024 election rematch, according to sources.
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DeSantis, who was convincingly re-elected in 2022 before running unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, has amassed a formidable network of affluent donors who might be useful to Trump as the general election campaign heats up.
Steve Witkoff, a Florida real estate broker who knows both Trump and DeSantis, organized the meeting, according to the Washington Post’s initial report.
The encounter appears to be the first time DeSantis and Trump have spoken, let alone met in person, since the governor stopped his presidential campaign in January after finishing second in the Iowa caucuses, significantly behind Trump.
The former president and his backers spent nearly a year bashing DeSantis as the two competed for the Republican primary, which also featured other candidates.
Fox News Digital contacted DeSantis and Trump about the incident, but neither responded quickly.
DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign just two days before the New Hampshire primary and has subsequently backed Trump. To date, however, DeSantis has not campaigned for Trump.
During a February call with supporters, the governor criticized Trump and his top political advisers.
“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 that they just have an ax to grind,” DeSantis was quoted as saying at the time.
In response, top Trump campaign staffer Chris LaCivita referred to DeSantis as a “sad little man.”
While many on Trump’s team and in his larger political circle dislike DeSantis, the former president may be more forgiving if it benefits him.
Trump announced in January, when DeSantis endorsed him, that he would “officially retire” the pejorative “Ron DeSanctimonious” nickname he had used to bash the Florida governor for nearly a year.
