Former President Donald Trump met with his biggest primary campaign rival to make peace and join forces for the 2024 election.
Trump met with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a private meeting on Sunday in Miami, according to The Washington Post.
The meeting reportedly went on for hours as the two navigated a rivalry that grew downright nasty before DeSantis ultimately dropped out of the race in January.
Apparently, that was the last time the two men spoke – until now.
DeSantis was seen as the Trump-alternative by conservative donors and voters looking for someone more tethered to the political sphere, but he failed to garner enough support to overcome Trump’s massive popularity with Republican voters.
The meeting was arranged after extensive effort by real-estate investor Steve Witkoff, a longtime friend of Trump who also has a relationship with DeSantis. Some reports say DeSantis reached out to Trump’s team through Witkoff weeks ago to “bury the hatchet”.
Witkoss sat in on the meeting in a private room at Shell Bay, his golf club.
Trump is looking to tap into that network and support from DeSantis when it comes to fundraising and getting those voters on board.
Trump is consistently being out-fundraised by President Joe Biden, who is taking advantage of hot button social issues and the Republican party’s fragmented state.
DeSantis reportedly agreed to help Trump, though the details of what they discussed are not immediately clear. It will almost certainly involve DeSantis’s aspirations to run again for president in 2028, though he is not thought to be in consideration for Trump’s vice president position.
“I don’t want to be VP. I don’t want to be in the Cabinet. I don’t want a TV show,” DeSantis said in January, before he dropped out. “I’m in it to win it.”
Both men declined to comment about the meeting when asked.
