Donald Trump taunts Ron DeSantis with latest batch of Florida endorsements

Former President Donald Trump showed up on stage at the Florida Republican Party’s Freedom Summit with lawmakers who flipped their endorsements from Gov. Ron DeSantis to him.

Trump made a pointed show of strength in his adopted home state, doing his best to embarrass the Florida governor whose 2024 presidential campaign has floundered.

“We’re going to win the Florida primary for the third straight time, and we’re going to win the state by a landslide next November,” Trump told the crowd in Kissimmee, according to the Associated Press.

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He and the legislators who flipped allegiance stood under a sign that read “Florida is Trump Country.” The latest slate of endorsements was announced horse before DeSantis himself took the stage at the event. It also comes days after Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) announced his own endorsement of Trump.

During his speech, Trump mocked DeSantis for begging for his endorsement back in 2018.

“I endorsed him and he became a rocket ship in 24 hours,” said Trump. “Now he’s like a wounded falling bird from the sky.”

Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP

Trump’s popularity in the Sunshine State was laid bare when former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another 2024 candidate, was booed when he said the former president was the wrong choice for 2024.

The Florida event comes days before the third Republican debate in Miami. Trump will skip the event, much like he did the first two, and instead hold an counter-programming in nearby Hialeah.

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DeSantis was expected to launch a serious challenge to Trump in the 2024 race, but his campaign has suffered a series of miscues, and in the RealClearPolitics average of national polls, he only stands at 13.4 per cent, compared to Trump, who is at 59.3 per cent.