DeSantis Turns on Trump Immediately After Endorsing Him

(RepublicanJournal.org) – On January 21, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dropped out of the contest for the Republican presidential nomination. As he suspended his campaign, he kept his word and endorsed former president Donald Trump. Then, just days later, he went back on the attack.

When DeSantis entered the presidential race he promised that, if he didn’t win the GOP nomination himself, he’d endorse whoever did. After the Iowa caucus on January 15 showed Trump as the clear leader, the governor evaluated his chances of closing the gap, decided he didn’t have any and wound up his campaign. Then, as he’d said he would, he endorsed Trump as the party’s next presidential candidate –- despite the savage personal attacks Trump had launched against him.

This truce didn’t last long, though. The day after he publicly backed Trump’s campaign, DeSantis turned to the subject of a proposed bill that was headed for Florida’s legislature. The bill, filed by State Senator Ileana Garcia (R), would have allowed Florida to give Trump up to $5 million towards legal fees for his multiple ongoing court cases. The funds would have come from Florida taxpayers, and would have added to the millions already paid by pro-Trump PACs.

DeSantis quickly shot that idea down. In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on January 22, he made his feelings clear. Media site Politico had sent a post reading “Some Florida Republicans want taxpayers to pay Trump’s legal bills.” DeSantis quote-posted that message, with the comment “But not the Florida Republican who wields the veto pen…” The message was clear: If that bill passed the state legislature and landed on his desk, he wasn’t going to sign it. Garcia immediately said she would withdraw the bill.

Will DeSantis stop there? It seems unlikely. On Tuesday he appeared on Blaze Media’s “Steve Deace Show” and warned that, despite crushing wins for Trump in Iowa and the New Hampshire primary, low voter turnout could mean he faces problems down the road. He might have endorsed the former president, but he clearly hasn’t forgiven him for the bitter contest that led up to Iowa.