Former President Donald Trump will still be holding his 'Save America' campaign-style rally this weekend in Sarasota – about 200 miles from the wreckage of the Champlain Towers South condo – despite Florida Governor Ron DeSantis allegedly begging him to cancel it.
According to the Washington Examiner, DeSantis's office 'made a direct plea' for Trump to call off his rally and one Republican told him and his team to 'read the room' as troops across the globe are searching for bodies following the Miami condo collapse.
As the death toll reached 18 with 145 people still missing, players from both Trumps and DeSantis's teams butted heads over continuing to hold the rally.
Trump held his first campaign-style rally since losing the presidency in Ohio last week. Saturday would be his second stop in a tour across presidential battleground states.
Former President Donald Trump will still be holding his 'Save America' campaign-style rally this weekend in Sarasota despite Florida Governor Ron DeSantis allegedly begging him to cancel it
According to a report, DeSantis begged Trump to cancel it because of its proximity to the Champlain Towers South condo collapse
An anonymous source close to Trump told the Washington Examiner that 'nobody wants to cancel' the rally.
'The governor is getting tested here as to how far he's going to be pushed before he breaks ranks with President Trump. And he has to be very careful because this is Trump country,' the source told the Washington Examiner. 'The base loves the president. But they equally love Ron. It's a showdown going on right now.'
DeSantis is facing pressure from across the globe regarding how he handles the aftermath of the Miami condo collapse as response teams from Israel and Mexico are aiding the Federal Emergency Management Agency's rescue efforts. Florida political leaders from across the aisle are constantly present at the site.
'We're talking about 150 people that are missing,' a former Trump aide anonymously told the Washington Examiner. 'There's massive loss of life. People are grieving. There's a lot of confusion as to what other buildings might be affected. Right now, the governor is down there almost every single day. What, you're gonna go across and do a rally and beat up Democrats? It's tone-deaf.'
Both Trump and DeSantis are potential contenders in the 2024 election. DeSantis is one of the most popular politicians in the country, weathering the coronavirus pandemic and recently besting Trump in a presidential straw poll this month. DeSantis captured 74% to 71% for Trump. Last year, Trump secured 95% support.
He is seen by many as a future president who can push Trump's most popular policies, but with a less divisive and abrasive personality.
An unnamed source said, ‘There's a huge rift between the DeSantis and Trump [camps],’ and alleged it ties to tensions between the Florida governor and Trump’s post-president lead Susie Wiles, a former top Trump campaign official.
Wiles, a veteran political strategist in the Sunshine State, led Trump’s Florida team in the 2016 election and DeSantis’s 2018 campaign for governor. However, their relationship was tested when Wiles returned to Trump’s camp for the
