Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis met in Miami on Sunday, marking the first time the two former rivals for the GOP presidential nomination have spoken since DeSantis ended his campaign in January. The meeting, first reported by the Washington Post, was confirmed by several sources who spoke anonymously to the newspaper as well as outlets including Fox News and NBC News. The bottom line on the significance of the meeting, per Axios: "DeSantis is a prodigious fundraiser. Trump badly needs the cash in the general election against President Biden." More along those lines from the various outlets:
- "Trump's advisers hope DeSantis will tap his donor network to help raise significant sums of money for the general election," per the Post.
- Sources say "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," per Fox.
- NBC reported earlier this month that DeSantis told donors he planned to help Trump fundraise.
- What's in it for DeSantis? Sources say it's better for DeSantis' own political future if he allows his relationship with Trump to thaw.
The breakfast meeting, set up by a mutual contact, lasted several hours and was friendly, the outlets say. Per the
Post, it broke "a years-long chill" between Trump and the Florida governor, who endorsed Trump back in January but followed that up with multiple criticisms of his former rival. Sources say the intent of the meeting was to "bury the hatchet." (More
Donald Trump stories.)