Florida GOPers Flex Dinner With Trump After Snubbing DeSantis

Florida House Republicans have been lining up to endorse Donald Trump’s next presidential bid, even though Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has requested some of their support for his developing campaign. Now, they’re flexing their allegiance to the former president.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna tweeted a photo overnight of herself with several of Florida’s congressional delegation, all seated with the former president.

The photo op capstones a week of public humiliation for the governor, as House Republicans from Florida announced their support for Trump in succession. Luna was among the first in the delegation to endorse Trump, alongside Reps. Matt Gaetz, Cory Mills and Byron Donalds.

Last Thursday, NBC News reported that DeSantis’ team had reached out to at least six House Republicans—Reps. Greg Steube, Aaron Bean, Vern Buchanan, Kat Cammack, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Laurel Lee—to request that they hold off on announcing their endorsements for the time being.

Lee, Florida’s former secretary of state, subsequently announced that she would support DeSantis next year, but Steube and Buchanan opted for Trump.

DeSantis appears to be on the outs with Republican members of his own state legislature as well. On Thursday, Politico reported that state Republicans have become “fed up” with his legislative priorities, designed to bolster a national campaign platform, trumping their own proposals.

“We’re not the party of cancel culture,” an anonymous GOP legislator told Politico. “We can’t keep doing this tit for tat.”

And now, several more Florida House Republicans have joined the Trump parade: Reps. Brian Mast, Michael Waltz, Gus Bilirakis and Carlos Gimenez all announced their intentions to back the former president throughout the week.