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.”
Trump hits out DeSantis fundraising and teases about debate participation
Three more post-lunch Truth Social missals from Donald Trump on the 2024 campaign trail today, both attacking Ron DeSantis.
In the first, the former president claims DeSantis’s donors have fled “do [sic] to his terrible, and still falling, poll numbers”.
Ron DeSanctimonious is desperately trying to get out of the Presidential race, while at the same time saving face for 2028, where he has been greatly damaged. Jeff Roe, Ron’s boss despite having a terrible record of winning, is spending money like a wild man gone bad. Much of the money being used was raised for his Gubernatorial race, and transferred over (illegally?) because his Presidential donors have largely fled do to his terrible, and still falling, poll numbers. Ron is just wasting time!
In the second, he says that DeSantis’s top political strategist believes the Florida governor should drop out of the race and then teases that he may — or may not — take part in the Republican Party primary debates.
Steve Cortes, the Ron DeSanctimonious top political strategist, thinks that Ron should get out NOW, while the getting is still good. He also said (thank you Steve!) that Donald J. Trump is the best Presidential debater ever, and can’t be beaten at the debate game. Well, based on that, maybe I should enter the debates - But, then again, when you have a 40 to 50 point lead over the field, maybe I shouldn’t???
He adds that he would rather go head-to-head with Mr DeSantis.
Despite Fake News protestations to the contrary, I do better one on one against Ron DeSanctimonious than I do with a field of candidates, large or small. Personally, I don’t think it matters. MAGA!!!
Trump points out that obvious cardboard cutout of him is cardboard cutout
Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday afternoon to make it clear that a photo circulating of January 6 defendant Taylor Taranto standing with a cardboard cutout of the former president was indeed a cardboard cutout and not actually him.
He wrote:
This picture is a “cardboard cutout” of me put out by the Fake News Media and probably supplied to them by Deranged Jack Smith and the Department of Injustice for purposes of Election Interference. Weaponization of “Justice” is the new way that the Radical Left Democrat Lunatics will CHEAT in the 2024 Presidential Election. WE WILL STOP THEM!!!
Mr Trump linked to a Gateway Pundit article that features the photo prominently at the top. It appears to come from one of Mr Taranto’s social media accounts and is clearly him at an event, holding a glass of red wine and standing with a cardboard cutout of the former president.
Here’s some of our recent coverage of Mr Taranto and how Mr Trump and former President Barack Obama fit into the bizarre case that stretches well beyond the January 6 Capitol riot.
Man arrested near Obama home threatened other prominent lawmakers, officials say
‘Taranto’s own words and actions demonstrate that he is a direct threat to multiple political figures as well as the public at large,’ prosecutors say
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
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?
‘What the hell is a Blizzard?’
Trump inadvertently reveals he’s never been to a Dairy Queen in viral video
Former President Donald Trump has inadvertently revealed that he’s not a frequent visitor of the ice cream chain Dairy Queen. During a stop at a Dairy Queen in Iowa, Trump appeared perplexed by requests for a Blizzard — the most famous item on the ice cream store’s menu. “Everybody wants a Blizzard. What the hell is a Blizzard?” Trump asked while throwing his hands in the air, prompting laughter from the crowd. The Blizzard is a soft-serve ice cream treat blended with a variety of toppings and has been a mainstay of the ice cream chain since 1985.
DoJ Trump probes have cost more than $9m
Special Counsel Jack Smith‘s investigations of President Donald Trump‘s retention of classified records and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election have cost more than $9m over the first several months, according to documents released Friday.
Read more...
Trump investigations into classified papers and 2020 election have cost more than $9m
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigations of President Donald Trump’s retention of classified records and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election have cost more than $9 million over the first several months
Here’s what you need to know as the GOP gears up to investigate Hunter Biden
The Republican chairmen of three key House committees are joining forces to probe the Justice Department’s handling of charges against Hunter Biden after making sweeping claims about misconduct at the agency.
Leaders of the House Judiciary, Oversight and Accountability, and Ways and Means committees opened a joint investigation into the federal case into President Joe Biden‘s youngest son days after it was announced last month that he will plead guilty to the misdemeanour tax offences as part of an agreement with the Justice Department.
Read on...
Top Republicans are gearing up to investigate the Hunter Biden case. Here's what to know.
The Republican chairmen of three key House committees are joining forces to probe the Justice Department’s handling of charges against Hunter Biden after making sweeping claims about misconduct at the agency
Judge rules Don Jr can be subpoenaed in Trump Organization case
A judge 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
Fox News host gives blunt assessment of poll numbers to DeSantis
A host at the usually Ron DeSantis-friendly Fox News asked the Florida governor about his low poll numbers as former President Donald Trump still dominates the Republican primary polls.
Mr DeSantis is currently the runner-up in the GOP polling, but he’s behind Mr Trump by a substantial margin with recent polls showing Trump leading by 27 percentage points, according to FiveThirtyEight.
Here’s what Will Cain asked Mr DeSantis:
Fox News host doesn’t hold back on Ron DeSantis’ poll numbers
Florida governor says he’s ‘running to win in January or February ... not to juice polling now’
Voices: The Freedom Caucus booting Marjorie Taylor Greene looks worse for them than it does for her
The Independent’s Eric Garcia explains the real divide between Rep Greene and the Freedom Caucus.
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
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