Trump, DeSantis meet privately in Florida

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met privately Sunday morning in Miami, according to people familiar with the matter, breaking a years-long chill between the presumptive Republican nominee and his onetime chief primary rival.

Allies brokered the meeting in hopes of a potential détente between the two men, and Trump’s advisers hope DeSantis will tap his donor network to help raise significant sums of money for the general election, the people familiar with the matter said. Like others interviewed for this story, the people spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private deliberations.

The pair met for several hours and DeSantis agreed to help Trump. The meeting was friendly, according to a person with direct knowledge.

Trump and allied groups have lagged behind President Joe Biden and his allies in the money chase. DeSantis has built a wide network of wealthy patrons whose assistance would be valuable in helping Trump try to close the gap, and is popular with some Republican voters who are exhausted by Trump.

There is an incentive for DeSantis to form a closer relationship, as well. People close to DeSantis have said it is untenable for him to continue to have a strained relationship with Trump, particularly as he eyes his political future. He is widely viewed among Republican donors and consultants as weakened after a shellacking by Trump in the primary.

The meeting was orchestrated by Steve Witkoff, a Florida real estate investor and developer both men know, and he attended.