Former President Donald Trump on Friday praised Florida as a "great state" and a "great place," hours after his campaign blasted the Sunshine State as one of the 'worst' in the union. In addition to praising Florida, Trump also touted his endorsements from Florida lawmakers on Friday, name-checking the 12 members of Florida's congressional delegation that have thrown their support behind his potential 2024 campaign.
However, this positive statement comes in contrast with remarks made earlier by Steven Cheung, spokesperson for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Cheung fired off a lengthy and blistering statement decrying Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' leadership skills and claiming that under DeSantis, Florida has become one of those worst states to live in – with little economic opportunity, work availability or safety.
The Trump campaign email sent by Cheung was titled “The Real Ron deSantis Playbook” and listed several points linked to the state becoming “among the worst.” The email further criticized Governor DeSantis for requesting an endorsement from former President Trump.
Despite these criticisms towards Governor DeSantis' leadership, Donald Trump has managed to secure significant political backing from Floridian politicians. As of Friday, nine senators and 48 members of the House have endorsed him for president in 2024. Among them are more than half of all Republicans serving in both chambers representing districts within Florida.
As questions around whether there will be an intra-party primary battle between former President Donald Trump and current Governor Ron DeSantis heat up ahead of next election cycle; it remains unclear how these recent contradictory statements aboutFlorida may impact public opinion or electoral strategies moving forward.