Ron DeSantis Handed Sobering News Hours Before Debate
As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis prepares for Wednesday night's Republican presidential debate, his biggest donor said he may be switching support to former President Donald Trump
Trump remains the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, while DeSantis—initially expected to be Trump's biggest rival after winning reelection in a landslide last year—remains a distant second and has struggled since launching his campaign in May.
DeSantis received a boost to his bid after the endorsement of Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, but his biggest donor, Robert Bigelow, is considering switching to Trump. Bigelow, a Nevada real estate investor who has funded space exploration and research into paranormal activities, gave more than $20 million to the DeSantis campaign this year, the largest donation to any 2024 candidate, according to federal filings.
However, Bigelow has criticized DeSantis for running a weak campaign while also praising Trump's leadership.
"I've got to look at who would probably be the strongest commander, with the most experience....And that's only one guy," Bigelow told the Financial Times. "Who would you want as a commander? I'd want somebody that would be a hell of an ass kicker if he needed to be. On the face of it, you lean toward Trump."
Newsweek has reached out to Bigelow and DeSantis' campaign via email for comment.
Additionally, Bigelow has cited a Florida bill signed in April banning abortion past six weeks of pregnancy as one of his criticisms of DeSantis, saying, "Six weeks, she just found out she's pregnant, the odds are. It's a sham. It's make-believe. It's condescending."
Bigelow's criticisms come before the Republican Party's third primary debate, in Miami, where candidates will try to gain ground on Trump, who will not attend.
This is not the first time Bigelow has criticized DeSantis and his ability to gather more support over Trump. In August, he said he would not donate more money unless the Florida governor attracts new major donors and adopts a more moderate approach.
"He does need to shift to get to moderates. He'll lose if he doesn't....Extremism isn't going to get you elected," Bigelow said in an interview, according to Reuters.
Meanwhile, DeSantis addressed Trump's lead in an NBC interview in August, saying, "If I had a nickel for every naysayer I've had in my life, I'd be a very, very wealthy man."
This comes after Trump and DeSantis have continued to quarrel with each other as they both claimed the state as their turf during the Florida Republican Party's Freedom Summit in Kissimmee on Saturday.
DeSantis' challenges were on display as Trump called to the stage several Florida lawmakers who switched their endorsements from DeSantis ahead of Saturday's event.
During his speech, Trump bragged about his wide lead with Republican voters and touted his administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and listing several Republican governors who did a "great job" leading their states during the pandemic, notably omitting DeSantis and Florida.
"We did a great job on COVID," Trump said. "We never got the credit for the job we did. We let Republican governors keep their states open. Many of them did. Henry McMaster, South Carolina, did a great job. South Dakota did a great job. Tennessee did a great job. A lot of them. They kept them open."
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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