Former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met privately in Miami on Sunday, multiple Republicans with knowledge of the meeting confirmed to Fox News.
During the several-hour meeting, DeSantis agreed to help Trump as the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee tries to close his fundraising gap with President Biden in their 2024 election rematch, the sources confirmed.
DeSantis, who was convincingly re-elected in 2022 before launching an unsuccessful bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has built up a formidable network of wealthy donors who could be helpful to Trump as the general election campaign heats up.
News of the meeting was first reported by the Washington Post, which said the get-together between the two rivals was orchestrated by Steve Witkoff, a Florida real estate broker known to both Trump and DeSantis.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Trump (AP Photo/File)
Sources familiar confirmed to Fox News that the meeting was set up nearly 10 days ago, after DeSantis approached Witkoff.
The meeting appears to be the first time DeSantis and Trump have spoken, let alone met in person, since the governor ended his White House bid in January after a disappointing second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, far behind Trump.
The former president and his allies spent nearly a year attacking DeSantis as the two squared off for the GOP nomination that also included other contenders.
DeSantis and Trump did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital on the matter.
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Then-President Trump greets then-Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis during a campaign rally at Hertz Arena in Estero, Florida, on Oct. 31, 2018. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign just two days ahead of the New Hampshire primary and has since endorsed Trump. But to date, DeSantis hasn’t campaigned on Trump’s behalf.
During a February call with supporters, the governor took aim at Trump and his top political advisers.
“I think he’s got people in his inner circle who were part of our orbit years ago that we fired, and I think some of that is they just have an ax to grind,” DeSantis said at the time.
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Former President Trump (AP Photo/Alex Brandon/File)
In response, top Trump campaign aide Chris LaCivita called DeSantis a “sad little man.”
While many on Trump’s team and his wider political orbit detest DeSantis, the former president may be more forgiving if it benefits him.
Trump said in January after DeSantis endorsed him that he would “officially retire” the derogatory “Ron DeSanctimonious” nickname he used repeatedly to attack the Florida governor for nearly a year.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in New Hampshire.
