Trump clinches another key endorsement as Florida defections against DeSantis pile up
Ryan King
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Former President Donald Trump nabbed another key endorsement from Florida as state defections against his main rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), pile up.
Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) endorsed Trump on Monday evening, contending that the former president is the only one who can rectify the “disastrous policies of the Biden administration.” Trump, a Florida resident, has clinched roughly half a dozen endorsements from Florida’s congressional delegation.
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“Today I continue my unwavering support for the America First movement by endorsing the leader of our party, President Donald Trump for re-election to President of the United States!” Steube tweeted along with a clip of a Newsmax interview in which he announced his decision.
https://twitter.com/gregsteube/status/1648117549249490944?s=20
Others from the Sunshine State delegation who have backed Trump include Reps. Byron Donalds (R), Matt Gaetz (R), Anna Paulina Luna (R), and Cory Mills (R). Overall, Trump has almost four dozen endorsements from sitting members of both chambers of Congress.
DeSantis has two so far, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Chip Roy (R-TX), neither of whom come from Florida.
“We need to right all the wrongs that have happened under this administration, fix the things that happen in Afghanistan, support our military and our veterans, and do the things that the American first agenda stands for, and that is one person, Donald Trump,” Steube said.
As he gears up for a likely 2024 run, DeSantis’s team has contacted at least six members of Florida’s congressional team, hoping to keep them from endorsing Trump, sources told NBC.
Trump recently enjoyed a wave of congressional Republican endorsements, with Reps. John Rose (R-TN) and Diana Harshbarger (R-TN), as well as Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN), backing him in recent days.
The Tennessee spate came ahead of the Trump campaign’s announced leadership team for the Volunteer State, which featured some of those who endorsed him. It also followed the Republican National Committee donor retreat in Nashville over the weekend.
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DeSantis has yet to jump into the 2024 political arena but has consistently polled as Trump’s chief primary threat. He is expected to make his 2024 intentions known sometime after the Florid state legislature wraps up its business in May.
The Florida governor is slated to participate in a meet-and-greet with Republican members of Congress in Washington, D.C., Tuesday as he crisscrosses the country to build up support ahead of his expected campaign.