Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took him to social media on Tuesday to share photos from golf for him and his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis.
DeSantis' move has been heated as competition for successful term-limited conservative governors, with Trump's ally Brion Donald announced his candidacy after landing the president's approval, and the prominent first lady admitting he is considering a 2026 run.
Trump and the first couple in Florida spent the weekend having breakfast together at the President's West Palm Beach Golf Course and also played a round of golf.
“. Caseydesantistee, off at Trump Int'l on @Palm Beach (made birdies in the hole). Casey and @Realdonaldtrump never won the match…”
DeSantis wins victory lap when implementing Trump's immigration crackdown
A Republican source in Florida has confirmed that the governor and first lady used the morning with Trump to appeal to the president to not further involvement in the governor race beyond Donald's initial support.
The president, who moved his major residence to Florida in 2019, went to social media two weeks ago, writing that Donald, Trump's leading agent on the 2024 campaign trail, “I'm going to be Florida's really great and powerful governor.”
Trump added that Donald “If he decides to run, I'll have my full and full support. Run, Byron, run!”
Watch: Byron Donald announces running for the governor with the arrival of Fox News Channel
Donald appeared on Fox News “Hanity” a week later to announce his candidacy.
A conservative former state legislator who has represented parts of southwestern Florida in legislature for four years has been keeping an eye on potential governor bids for nearly a year.
“I thought about it. I'm not really excluding anything,” Donald said in a digital interview with Fox News when asked about the governor's potential run last spring.
Rep. Byron Donald of Florida will speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) held in National Harbor, Maryland on Friday, February 21, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump and DeSantis have a long, but sometimes flammable political history.
The president supported Rep at the time. Desantis was a successful governor in 2018, and the two were allies for several years. However, the two GOP heavyweights fought fiercely in the highly militant and split 2024 GOP presidential nomination race in 2023 and early last year. They appear to be making peace after Trump quickly decided on the nomination during the primary election, and DeSantis helped raise Trump's funds during the general election.
After Donald jumped into the race, DeSantis appeared to be criticising lawmakers, saying at a press conference, “People see that and think there's a guy like Byron, he wasn't part of the victory we were left here.”
He has refrained from criticizing Donald since making these comments, but has repeatedly promoted his wife's achievements as Florida's first lady, and declared her as a worthy successor.
Florida Governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis will march at the Wolfeboro Independence Day Parade in New Hampshire on Tuesday, July 4th, 2023, along with his wife, Casey DeSantis and son, Mason. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News Digital)
Casey DeSantis surprised speculation last week when a reporter asked if she would run.
“To quote the late Yogi Bella,” DeSantis said he repeated the famous line from the late baseball legend. “If you see a fork on the road, take it.”
The governor then told reporters, “You guys can read what you do.”
Fox News confirmed last week that Governor Desantis was reaching out to donors on behalf of his wife.
When asked about Casey DeSantis, Donald told Fox News that he told Fox News that he had “Sunday Morning Futures” host Maria Bartilomo, “I remember the then Congressman DeSantis campaign in 2018, backed by Donald Trump.
“He has a history of good choices and I think his picks have always worked out for the Sunshine State,” stressed Donald.
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He added, “Whether others will be in the race or not, we will be worried about the primary, but we will be focused on Floridians.”
Florida was once the best general election battlefield, but now it's solid red – DeSantis won nearly 20 points reelection in 2022, and Trump carried the state with 13 points in November – and the ultimate winner of the GOP Primary will be considered the top runner in next year's gubernatorial election.
