Trump is counting on DeSantis to help raise money for his presidential campaign — and DeSantis is open to it, the Washington Post reported.
DeSantis and Trump met Sunday morning at the Shell Bay Club near Miami after not speaking since DeSantis’ campaign ended in January, CNN reported. The two men engaged in a presidential campaign rivalry that involved plenty of name-calling — particularly from the former president.
The New York Times and Politico also reported on the meeting.
Before DeSantis left the race in January, Trump focused on his rival, mocking his name and calling him “Ron DeSanctimonious” and, reportedly, “Meatball Ron,” which Trump denied .
Trump has a history of lining up his rivals after severe burns. During the 2016 primary, Trump mocked the appearance of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s wife. Trump also helped spread a false story that Cruz’s father handed out pamphlets to Fidel Castro along with Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who killed President John F. Kennedy.
Cruz later endorsed Trump for president.
Trump also mocked another former primary rival, making jokes about former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s weight. Christie also ended up supporting Trump after she withdrew.
Christie, who is running again in the 2024 presidential campaign, changed his tone this cycle and refused to support Trump after dropping out once again in January.
And when outspoken Trump critic and former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr endorsed Trump for the 2024 ticket, he responded by mocking Barr while thanking him for his support.
According to the Post, although DeSantis supported Trump after dropping out of the GOP primary, the two men have not spoken since. DeSantis “was stung” by the way the former president treated him during the campaign, the Post wrote, citing people familiar with the matter.
However, the Post reported that anonymous people close to the Florida governor felt he needed to make amends with the former president as DeSantis eyes a possible 2028 bid.
An anonymous source told the Post that deliberations between Trump and DeSantis on Sunday were friendly. DeSantis agreed to help the president raise money for his presidential campaign against Democratic rival Joe Biden, the Post reported.
Another anonymous source told the Post that Florida real estate developer Steve Witkoff, who testified as an expert in Trump’s defense at his fraud trial in Manhattan last year, orchestrated the meeting between the two distant men.
Neither side confirmed the meeting on social media.
Representatives for Trump, DeSantis and Witkoff did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
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