Before Trump elevated DeSantis to governor of Florida (that’s one of the rare Trump brags that’s actually true), Pudd’n Boots was a U.S. House backbencher. He returned to D.C. yesterday to meet with elected Republicans. It didn’t go so well (NYT gift link):
DeSantis Meets With Republicans on Capitol Hill, to a Lukewarm Response
Ron DeSantis has not managed much momentum from his party in Congress, where he served before becoming Florida’s governor.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Tuesday made a rare return trip to Washington, where he served in the House before his run for governor, to mingle with about a dozen Republican lawmakers.
But his journey to Capitol Hill failed to spark much momentum in his expected presidential bid among Republicans in Congress, an important group for White House aspirants…
Representative Lance Gooden of Texas, meanwhile, sent out a statement endorsing Donald J. Trump — during Mr. DeSantis’s event.
“Due diligence was my motivating factor,” Mr. Gooden said in an interview after meeting with Mr. DeSantis at the gathering. “I love Donald Trump. But I didn’t want to just jump out and endorse him out of loyalty. I made a commitment to myself that I would meet and visit with every serious contender before I made a decision. I chose today and wanted to jump back on the Trump Train.”
Man, that’s cold! As noted earlier, DeSantis donors are panicking, and Florida Republicans continue to tap out on RD 2024, despite the DeSantis campaign begging them to at least remain neutral.
The NYT says DeSantis offered extensive facetime to any House Repub who wanted it. But only about a dozen people showed up in total, presumably including the dude who texted an endorsement for Trump while DeSantis was right there in the room.
There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick, even in the Gormless Odious Prick party.
Undeterred, DeSantis will speak at a D.C. Heritage Foundation conference later this week, hit up an event in Texas and then undertake a whirlwind global tour with stops in Japan, Korea, Israel and the UK. I wonder if anyone in Florida will notice.
Open thread!