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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis values being in control. Presidential candidate-in-waiting DeSantis is losing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As he trekked to the nation\u2019s capital to demonstrate strength with the Washington establishment on Tuesday \u2014 and before he even set foot in the district \u2014 several members of his state\u2019s congressional delegation announced support instead for former President Donald Trump\u2019s White House comeback bid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was the latest indication of the early shine dulling on a candidate initially heralded by Republicans who don\u2019t want Trump to be their party\u2019s 2024 nominee \u2014 and more proof of Trump\u2019s indictment bolstering his standing in the GOP field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c[DeSantis] is in a much weaker position now than he was a few months ago. Trump is in a much stronger position,\u201d said Sarah Longwell, a moderate Republican strategist. DeSantis, she said, has \u201chad a tough few weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While DeSantis stays out of the race \u2014 he\u2019s planning an entrance after Florida\u2019s legislative session ends in the coming weeks \u2014 Trump has begun to consolidate support. The former president and a PAC boosting him are using the time to hammer away at the Florida governor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Three Florida Republicans joined four of their colleagues in endorsing Trump this week: Rep. Greg Steube announced his backing of the former president Monday night on Newsmax, Rep. John Rutherford tweeted his support<\/a> Tuesday afternoon and Rep. Brian Mast told CNN<\/a> he would be with Trump. He later confirmed his support to POLITICO, adding he might chair a committee of veterans backing the ex-president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In yet another slight, Republican Texas Rep. Lance Gooden issued a statement Tuesday noting he had a \u201cpositive meeting\u201d with DeSantis but is still backing Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, a PAC backing Trump took to the airwaves with an ad claiming DeSantis will cut Social Security and Medicaid \u2014 while mocking him for reportedly once eating chocolate pudding with his fingers. (DeSantis laughed off the jab in an interview with Piers Morgan last month<\/a>, saying he had no recollection and calling it nonsense.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n A DeSantis spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment, but his allies have begun pushing back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A PAC supporting him has released an ad of its own<\/a>, showing a clip of him promising to keep the entitlement programs intact and contrasting it with another video of Trump indicating he would consider reducing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Never Back Down PAC sought to compete with Trump for Florida endorsements on Tuesday, announcing the support of Rep. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.), who had worked as his secretary of state. In her statement, Lee cited his \u201ccharacter\u201d and \u201ccommitment to core conservative principles\u201d before focusing on what is expected to be DeSantis\u2019 main contrast with Trump: \u201cRon DeSantis fights for what matters, and he wins when it matters most.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Washington, DeSantis spoke to a jam-packed room at The Heritage Foundation, where congressional staff and family attended with members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many lawmakers weren\u2019t ready to endorse DeSantis, but expressed curiosity about his platform and record. DeSantis drew a solid turnout, even as protesters chanted outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI want to see a really robust primary. I think it would be healthy for the Republican Party to have a really robust debate on issues,\u201d Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) said. \u201cAnd I\u2019d love to see whether it\u2019s Nikki Haley or Ron DeSantis or some of the others that may run that haven\u2019t announced \u2026 There\u2019s some very sharp potential Republican presidential candidates. I would go see any of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, several Republican strategists who have been critical of Trump are voicing concern about DeSantis\u2019 prospects. FiveThirtyEight\u2019s polling average shows him trailing Trump by 23 points but still far outpacing anyone else in the field<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn many ways he was the frontrunner even ahead of Trump. He struggled a little bit with how best to handle that,\u201d said Wisconsin Republican operative Mark Graul, who believes DeSantis remains \u201ca very strong contender.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDeSantis is in D.C. to try locking up some endorsements for himself because every time Trump picks up another endorsement, he gets a whole news cycle out of it,\u201d added Longwell, who runs focus groups and publishes The Bulwark. \u201cDeSantis is on the precipice of Trump seeming inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some donors and supporters are starting to worry about DeSantis\u2019 viability. They\u2019re worried about Trump\u2019s apparent strength, bolstered by backlash to the Manhattan district attorney\u2019s indictment. And in one unusual instance, top GOP donor Thomas Peterffy told the Financial Times<\/a> he is withholding monetary support for DeSantis\u2019 bid, due to \u201chis stance on abortion and book banning.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The move is not just a financial blow; it undercuts DeSantis\u2019 argument that only \u201cwoke\u201d Democrats are troubled by his support for legislation that removes flagged books from school library shelves until the book is either banned or deemed appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n