DeSantis to host donors ahead of likely 2024 White House bid
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[February 23, 2023]
By James Oliphant
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will host an event
for top donors and social-media influencers this weekend, the latest in
a flurry of moves that suggest he's ramping up to battle former
President Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination.
About 150 guests are expected to attend the three-day event at the Four
Seasons resort in Palm Beach, Florida, including wealthy Republican
donors and conservative social-media influencers whom DeSantis' camp has
courted in recent months ahead of a widely expected presidential run,
according to a source who asked not to be identified in order to share
details.
The gathering will come on the heels of a fundraiser that Trump, who has
already announced another White House bid, is expected to attend on
Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago home in the same island town.
The Republican race to take on Democratic President Joe Biden next year
has gotten off to a largely quiet start. Former South Carolina Governor
Nikki Haley joined Trump in the Republican field this month, but several
other prospective candidates have yet to jump in.
Public opinion polls show DeSantis as the strongest threat to Trump for
the nomination, though he continues to be cagey about whether he will
challenge the former president.
DeSantis is not expected to make any overt statements about a
presidential campaign at his Palm Beach event. The source with knowledge
about the gathering downplayed its significance, saying it will be
similar to past policy forums DeSantis has convened.
While he is unlikely to formally enter the presidential race until the
session ends in early May, DeSantis has been accelerating efforts to
build his national profile before then.
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks
during a rally ahead of the midterm elections, in Hialeah, Florida,
U.S., November 7, 2022. REUTERS/Marco Bello
Earlier this week, he traveled to New York, Chicago and Philadelphia
to speak to law enforcement groups on criminal justice matters. He
also will headline Republican fundraisers in Alabama, California and
Texas early next month.
DeSantis this week waded into foreign affairs by criticizing Biden’s
Ukraine policies, saying on the Fox News Channel that Russia does
not pose a threat to Europe and that Biden should be focusing more
on China.
For the most part, DeSantis has resisted in engaging in a flame war
with Trump, although holding his retreat a stone’s throw from
Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate likely won’t go unnoticed by the former
president.
The fundraiser at Trump's home on Thursday will be held by a new
super PAC, MAGA Inc., set up late last year to support Trump’s
political activities.
Trump has increased his attacks on his potential rival. He recently
posted a series of slams on his social media account, suggesting,
among other things, that DeSantis can’t take credit for Florida’s
economic health – likely to be a key tenet of DeSantis’ sales pitch
to voters.
In remarks at an event in West Palm Beach on Monday, Trump labeled
DeSantis his “enemy.”
“I always say hit your enemy a little early," Trump said. "Some
people say don’t. But I say do.”
(Reporting by James Oliphant; Additional reporting by Steve Holland;
Editing by Colleen Jenkins)
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