Two of the most gargantuan, gaping assholes in Florida collided yesterday, and all I could think of when reading about it was the sad absence of a meteor. Gift link from the Post:
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…
The meeting was orchestrated by Steve Witkoff, a Florida real estate investor and developer both men know, and he attended. Witkoff called the former president’s team and asked for him to meet with DeSantis, a person familiar with the matter said.
Trump and DeSantis had not spoken since the end of a bruising primary season, where DeSantis dropped out after a disappointing finish in Iowa, following months of attacks from Trump and his supporters.
Trump, DeSantis and a mindbogglingly corrupt developer/GOP donor together in the same location? In Miami? And no (highly localized) destruction raining down from the sky? Thanks for nothing, Oort Cloud!
The newsiest bit of the article is toward the end, where reporter Josh Dawsey describes a scene reminiscent of a mob boss in straightened circumstances leaning on a discredited goon in his hour of need:
In recent weeks, DeSantis held an event for donors at a resort in Florida, and people close to him said he is potentially interested in running for president again in 2028. During the Republican primary, Trump told advisers he wanted to hurt DeSantis for 2028, too. But he has moved his focus on to Biden and his criminal trial in recent weeks, and Trump allies say he would favorably view DeSantis raising money for him.
Trump would welcome donations from Old Scratch himself, so that hardly needed to be said. For me, the amusing subtext is that DeSantis is caught in yet another ambition trap. His life has become a hellscape of ambition traps, where he’s forced to suck up to odious people and adopt unnatural mannerisms and wear strange articles of clothing in a fruitless quest for the White House.
I think the frustration of being caught in these traps accounts for the undercurrent of fury that’s always just below the surface with DeSantis, whether he’s awkwardly navigating a stage wearing wedge heels in cowboy-boot wrappers or raring back like an aggressive baboon to boom fake laughter at startled Iowans.
On a related note, there was speculation in the morning thread about Trump doing time. I still think that’s extremely unlikely, even if he loses the election (which I think he will) and is convicted on at least some counts. But he’s a miserable sumbitch right now too, and so is DeSantis. That’s real, so I will savor it.
Open thread.