While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a meet-and-greet on Capitol Hill Tuesday evening, former President Donald Trump and his team aimed to be one step ahead – planning a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort with members of the Florida congressional delegation just two days after the DeSantis reception.
Thursday’s dinner, which was described to CNN by multiple GOP sources, is the latest bid by Trump to court support from their shared home turf as the former president tries to show strength amid his mounting legal troubles and tweak his likely rival in the 2024 race.
The intense battle for Sunshine State endorsements kicked into overdrive this week: in the 24 hours ahead of DeSantis’s visit to Washington, three Florida Republicans – Reps. Greg Steube, John Rutherford and Brian Mast – officially announced their support for Trump, while DeSantis locked down his first Florida endorsement, his third overall, from Rep. Laurel Lee.
For Trump, securing as many congressional endorsements as possible – particularly from Florida – before DeSantis formally declares his candidacy has been a top personal priority, according to multiple sources close to the former president.
“We want to be able to show that even members in DeSantis’ own state, who know and work with him, don’t support him for president,” a source close to the Trump campaign told CNN.
The two men have approached the competition for endorsements differently, a reflection of their contrasting styles. Trump has been directly involved in lobbying members to get on board with his presidential bid, as have some of his advisers and top surrogates both on and off Capitol Hill. Even Trump-supporting Republican consultants spent days working the phones on the former president’s behalf.
Trump’s team is keeping close tabs on who is – and isn’t – endorsing him, and is expected to…
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