DeSantis news – latest: Florida governor most popular with rich Republicans as he defends move to fly migrants to California
DeSantis on campaign trail hoping to raise national profile as 2024 race hots up
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Your support makes all the difference.Florida governor Ron DeSantis appears to be the preferred Republican candidate among right-leaning millionaires, according to the latest CNBC Millionaire Survey, although his arch-rival and front-runner Donald Trump is seemingly also picking up support among wealthy Americans.
The poll shows that 32 per cent of Republicans with qualifying millionaire status currently support Mr DeSantis, a drop from 54 per cent at the end of 2022, while Mr Trump now has the backing of 28 per cent, up from 17 per cent last year.
Meanwhile, the governor has met with sheriffs in Arizona and defended his state’s recent decision to fly migrants from the US-Mexico border to Sacramento, California, a move widely derided as a cruel political stunt but which he insisted was above board because the west coast state had essentially invited them with its liberal immigration policies.
“I think the border should be closed. I don’t think we should have any of this,” Mr DeSantis said. “But if there’s a policy to have an open border, then I think the sanctuary jurisdictions should be the ones that have to bear that.”
Christie hammers Trump on ABC
The former New Jersey governor was on ABC News as well as Fox on Sunday, where Mr Christie — a former cable news contributor himself — has waged much of his war against Donald Trump.
ICYMI: Appeals court ethics panel recommends Rudy Giuliani be disbarred
A disciplinary committee in Washington DC has recommended Rudy Giuliani be disbarred in the nation’s capital for his spurious efforts to overturn the results for the 2020 presidential election on behalf of Donald Trump.
The former New York City mayor led Mr Trump’s campaign of disinformation and conspiracies in an effort to alter the election results, and made numerous claims for which he later was revealed on tape to have admitted he had no evidence to make.
Mr Giuliani had “no factual basis, and consequently no legitimate legal grounds” to challenge the results of the election in states that Mr Trump lost, while his “frivolous” pursuit to undermine the outcome and disenfranchise voters “seriously undermined the administration of justice,” according to the committee’s report.
Alex Woodward has the details.
Disciplinary committee recommends Rudy Giuliani be disbarred
Bogus legal campaign to upend election had ‘no factual basis, and consequently no legitimate legal ground’
Trump vows to keep ‘communists and markers’ out of the US
Donald Trump fumbled his words while speaking at his largest campaign event in Iowa on Friday.
The former president appeared in Council Bluffs in the western part of the state that hosts the first caucus in approximately just over five months.
Speaking about immigration, Mr Trump was relaying a campaign promise to deny entry to leftist ideologues when he accidentally referred to them as “communists and markers” rather than Marxists.
Read on...
Trump vows to keep ‘communists and markers’ out of the US in latest gaffe
Former president is known for stumbling over prepared remarks while hurling insults at rivals
Judge rules Don Jr can be subpoenaed in Trump Organization case
A judge has allowed for Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen to introduce one of the former president’s sons as a witness in his case against the Trump Organization, according to his attorneys.
Mr Cohen’s team had asked to use testimony from Donald Trump Jr in his case, as he served as a Trump Organization executive vice president.
“We would like to introduce testimony about what Mr Trump Jr. paid his lawyers in the exact same matters,” said Mr Cohen’s attorney, Hunter Winstead.
Jury selection will begin on 17 July, Mr Winstead told reporters.
Kelly Rissman reports.
More bad news for Trump as judge rules his son can be subpoenaed in Cohen case
‘We would like to introduce testimony about what Mr Trump Jr. paid his lawyers in the exact same matters,’ said Michael Cohen’s attorney
Voices: The Freedom Caucus booting Marjorie Taylor Greene looks worse for them than it does for her
After a whirlwind few weeks for the far-right House Freedom Caucus, The Independent’s Eric Garcia explains what is really going on behind the scenes with Marjorie Taylor Greene’s expulsion.
The Freedom Caucus booting Marjorie Taylor Greene is worse for them than for her
Georgia Republican wants to enact her right-wing agenda. The Freedom Caucus wants to complain
Judge rules Trump can be made to give evidence in lawsuit from ex-FBI agent
A District of Columbia federal judge on Thursday said former president Donald Trump can be made to give evidence in a deposition as part of a lawsuit against the Department of Justice by ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok.
Andrew Feinberg has the details.
Trump can give evidence in lawsuit from ex-FBI agent, judge says
Judge Amy Berman Jackson said Mr Trump should be available because he has time to file other civil lawsuits
Comment: What bringing Trump back would mean for Ukraine – and conflict in the rest of the world
Mary Dejevsky writes:
Joe Biden’s visit to the UK this weekend, when he will meet the prime minister and the king, could serve as a welcome reminder about where political power – and responsibility – currently resides on both sides of the Atlantic.
I say this, because some of the recent running on arguably the most urgent international issue of the day has been made by someone who has no power whatever, but eyes a return. Step forward (as if he needed any invitation to do so) Donald Trump, who spoke at some length this week about wanting a peaceful outcome in Ukraine, even if this entailed territorial concessions on the part of Kyiv.
Read on...
What bringing Trump back would mean for Ukraine – and the rest of us | Mary Dejevsky
The former president has made his views on Nato clear, writes Mary Dejevsky. So what happens if he wins in 2024 – and the war isn’t over?
Trump’s encounter with Guy Fieri at UFC fight sparks mixed reactions
Donald Trump attended an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Las Vegas on Saturday night after a volunteer event for his Nevada primary campaign.
While the former president was met with cheers from the crowd and high-fived supporters at the T-Mobile Arena for UFC 290, his interactions with some of the notable names present caused a mixed reaction online.
Read more:
Trump’s encounter with Guy Fieri at UFC fight sparks mixed reactions
Former president pictured with celebrity chef at Las Vegas mixed martial arts event
Trump lawyer Alina Habba leaves his defence team in New York fraud case
Donald Trump’s lawyer Alina Habba has stepped down from her role defending the former president in the fraud lawsuit filed against him by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Ms Habba has taken up a new role with Mr Trump’s Save America leadership political action committee.
The Independent has more on the changing dynamics of Mr Trump’s legal team:
Trump lawyer Alina Habba leaves his defence team in New York fraud case
Ms Habba will still advide former president on ‘certain legal matters’
DeSantis nervously laughs when asked about campaign ‘failure to launch’ in Fox News interview
Ron DeSantis is once again facing awkward questions (and giving awkward responses) around the subject of his poll numbers, which have stagnated and dropped in some cases amid Donald Trump’s two criminal indictments.
The latest journalist to question Mr DeSantis on the issue did so on Fox News, and appeared to suggest that it was all over for him.
“What’s going on with your campaign?” Sunday Morning Futures host Maria Bartiromo asked. “There was a lot of optimism about you running for president earlier in the year. … What happened?!”
Watch the governor’s response here:
DeSantis nervously laughs when asked about 2024 ‘failure to launch’ in Fox interview
The governor insisted voters would rally around him following the first primary debates in August
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