(TheRedAlertNews.com) – Donald Trump has just dealt a mighty home-state blow to Ron DeSantis, still his biggest 2024 GOP nomination rival, as Florida US Senator Rick Scott has endorsed the former president for a White House comeback, snubbing his state’s governor.
Former President Trump, who has been leading DeSantis and the other 2024 Republican nomination candidates by dozens of points, secured the significant endorsement from the latter’s home state on Thursday, Fox News reports.
Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), himself a former governor of the Sunshine State, endorsed Trump in what Fox called a striking rebuff to DeSantis.
“I am proud to endorse Donald Trump. It’s time for the Republican Party to come together, behind one candidate, and declare with one voice that we are united in our efforts to defeat Joe Biden and rescue America,” Scott wrote on X.
“A great honor to have such a powerful Endorsement from Senator Rick Scott of Florida,” the former president responded in a post on Truth Social.
“Rick is tough and smart, and he knows what America needs, especially in these troubled (By Biden!) times. Thank you Rick!” he added.
“Thank you, President Trump! It’s time for Republicans to come together and fire Joe Biden next year,” Scott wrote later on X, reacting to the former president’s expression of gratitude.
Andrew Romeo, the communications director for Ron DeSantis, said the governor would win the GOP primary in his home state regardless of Scott’s endorsement of Trump.
“He also has the support of almost all Florida elected officials because he worked with them to deliver historic results for the conservative movement. The governor will win his home state because Floridians want to see a fighter who will bring the same type of results-oriented leadership to Washington that he has provided in the Sunshine State,” Romeo said.
Many political analysts had previously speculated that Scott, a prosperous former healthcare executive and the wealthiest member of the Senate, might enter the 2024 Republican presidential race.
However, the senator has consistently denied plans for a presidential bid, declaring he is seeking a second six-year term in the US Senate.
Trump has planned several events in Florida in the upcoming days, including engagements in the Orlando vicinity and a rally in Hialeah next Wednesday, coinciding with the night of the upcoming Republican debate.
