The Washington Post reported that President Trump is looking to DeSantis to help raise money for his presidential campaign, and that DeSantis is ready to oblige.
CNN reported that DeSantis and Trump had not spoken since DeSantis' campaign ended in January, but they met Sunday morning at the Shelvey Club near Miami. The two faced each other in the presidential election, and received a lot of badmouthing, especially from the former president.
The New York Times and Politico also reported on the meeting.
Before Mr. DeSantis withdrew from the race in January, Mr. Trump focused on his rival, making fun of his name, calling him “Ron DeSanctimonious,” or reportedly “Meatball Ron.” , but Mr. Trump denies this.
Trump has a history of lining up rivals behind him after getting badly burned. During the 2016 primary campaign, Trump mocked the appearance of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's wife. Mr. Trump also helped spread the false story that Mr. Cruz's father distributed a pamphlet about Fidel Castro with Lee Harvey Oswald, who killed President John F. Kennedy.
Cruz later endorsed President Trump.
Trump also joked about former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's weight and mocked another former primary rival. Mr. Christie also became a supporter of Mr. Trump after his resignation.
Mr. Christie, who ran for president again in 2024, resigned again in January but changed his stance this term, refusing to endorse Mr. Trump.
When former US Attorney General Bill Barr, a vocal critic of Trump, announced his support for Trump in the 2024 presidential election, Trump responded by thanking Barr for his support but mocking him.
The newspaper said DeSantis supported Trump after dropping out of the Republican primary, but the two have not spoken since then. DeSantis was “disturbed” by the former president's treatment during his campaign, the newspaper wrote, citing people familiar with the matter.
But the Post reported that anonymous people close to the Florida governor felt DeSantis needed to make amends with the former president as he looks toward a possible 2028 bid.
An unnamed source told the Post that talks between Trump and DeSantis on Sunday were “unlikely.” It was friendly. The paper said DeSantis has agreed to help raise money for his Democratic rival, President Joe Biden's campaign.
Another anonymous source told the Post that Steve Witkoff, a Florida real estate developer who testified as an expert in Mr. Trump's defense in his fraud trial in Manhattan last year, said that the two estranged He is said to have arranged the meeting.
Neither side acknowledged the meeting on social media.
Representatives for Trump, DeSantis and Witkoff did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
