{"id":2091445,"date":"2023-11-05T22:30:04","date_gmt":"2023-11-06T03:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-republicans-show-they-like-desantis-but-love-trump\/"},"modified":"2023-11-05T22:33:47","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T03:33:47","slug":"florida-republicans-show-they-like-desantis-but-love-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-republicans-show-they-like-desantis-but-love-trump\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Republicans are fond of DeSantis, but have an unwavering adoration for Trump."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fflorida-republicans-show-they-like-desantis-but-love-trump%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2091445&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>KISSIMMEE, Fla.\u2013The Florida Freedom \u2064Summit: A Battle for the Spotlight<\/h2>\n<p>The Florida Freedom Summit presented a chance for the state\u2019s \u2063governor, Ron DeSantis,\u200b to \u200cshine. And he did.<\/p>\n<p>Former President Donald Trump still commanded the \u2062biggest spotlight among speakers at the state Republican Party\u2019s \u2064day-long event on Nov. 4.<\/p>\n<p>Although the\u2062 audience of \u20631,500 people treated the\u200d governor to numerous rounds of cheering and\u200c applause, the crowd reacted more intensely \u200cto the former president.<\/p>\n<p>Chants of \u201cTrump! Trump! Trump!\u201d echoed\u200d in the ballroom at the Gaylord Palms Resort. At times,\u2064 the audience laughed \u200bheartily at the former\u2064 president&#8217;s jokes\u200c but turned stone silent \u200cwhen he spoke of the\u200b threat of nuclear war and the nation&#8217;s immigration, \u200deconomic, and \u2062social ills. No <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-presidential-candidates-appeal-for-support-at-florida-summit\/\" title=\"GOP candidates seek support at Florida summit.\">comparable responses happened<\/a> during Mr. DeSantis\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n<p>The summit \u2063marked the first time that \u200cthese two GOP rivals shared the same stage in their home\u2063 state while vying for their party\u2019s \u200cpresidential nomination.<\/p>\n<p>President\u200d Trump seized the \u2064opportunity to mark Florida as his territory. He flaunted seven additional endorsements from Florida politicians, including five state representatives who had defected from\u2064 Mr. DeSantis\u2019s corner: Reps. Jessica Baker, Webster Barnaby, Alina Garcia, and Kevin \u2063Steele.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Related \u2062Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/florida-republicans-vow-to-stand-behind-house-israel-bill-in-pending-senate-clash-5523148?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>Florida Republicans Vow to \u200bStand Behind House Israel Bill in Pending Senate Clash<\/strong><\/a>  &#8211; 11\/4\/2023<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/desantis-suggests-rnc-not-nominate-trump-if-hes-convicted-5521916?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><strong>DeSantis \u2064Suggests RNC Not Nominate Trump If He&#8217;s \u2062Convicted<\/strong><\/a>  \u200c -\u2064 11\/2\/2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Two new endorsers are state\u2064 Reps. Mike Beltran and David Borrero, according to \u200dan article \u2064from\u2062 The Messenger <a href=\"https:\/\/www.donaldjtrump.com\/news\/5b273d2c-e398-43d8-a4a5-8174b5ef4c7c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posted on President Trump\u2019s campaign website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Onstage, President Trump \u2062also pointed out that the Nov. 2\u2063 endorsement from\u2063 U.S. Sen.\u2062 Rick Scott \u200c(R-Fla.) was\u200b key, along with one from Florida Rep. Randy Fine.<\/p>\n<p>As endorsers \u2064clustered\u2062 around him\u200b onstage, \u2064the former\u200c president stood \u200cin front \u2063of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/florida-republicans-show-they-like-desantis-but-love-trump\/\" title=\"Florida Republicans are fond of DeSantis, but have an unwavering adoration for Trump.\">lighted signage proclaiming<\/a>, \u201cFlorida is \u2063Trump Country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Similar signs are fixtures at Trump rallies. But those\u200d words seemed to sting when displayed in the state\u200d where Mr. DeSantis\u200d serves as the\u200d state\u2019s \u200cchief executive.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, while \u2063the governor \u200dspoke, some signs declared, \u201cFlorida is\u2063 DeSantis Country.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Endorsements and Loyalty<\/h2>\n<p>When reporters asked Mr.\u2064 DeSantis about \u200cthe state lawmakers who \u201cflipped\u201d \u2062and endorsed President Trump over him, the governor said: \u201cWe\u2019ve had \u2018flips\u2019 the other way, in other states. It\u2019s\u200d a dynamic \u2062thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He then pointed to out-of-state endorsers who apparently admired his accomplishments in\u2062 Florida,\u2063 which\u200b included improving the economy, attracting new residents,\u200d and\u200d reducing the crime rate.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. DeSantis has collected a handful \u200cof congressional endorsements, including Rep. Laurel\u2062 Lee of \u200bFlorida, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/projects.fivethirtyeight.com\/2024-election-endorsements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">FiveThirtyEight.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200dleaders of both chambers\u200c of the Florida legislature, \u2062Rep. \u2063Paul Renner and Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, have \u200cendorsed Mr. DeSantis, along\u2062 with Attorney General Ashley Moody.<\/p>\n<p>Still, President Trump\u2019s \u2063assortment of endorsements dwarfs Mr. DeSantis\u2019s, the website shows.<\/p>\n<p>During \u200chis \u206381-minute speech, President Trump took his usual digs at Mr. DeSantis, primarily his \u2062beef\u200d over Mr. DeSantis being \u201cdisloyal.\u201d \u200cPresident Trump says his\u2063 endorsement of Mr. DeSantis lofted him to his first\u2062 gubernatorial \u200cvictory in 2019.\u2062 But Mr.\u200c DeSantis turned around\u200d and ran against him in the current\u200d presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<p>When President Trump said that voters apparently\u200b \u201cdo\u2062 care about \u200dloyalty,\u201d the crowd applauded in agreement.<\/p>\n<h2>Critics Get Booed<\/h2>\n<p>Mr. DeSantis had ramped up his verbal jabs against President Trump in recent weeks,\u2062 accusing him\u2064 of lacking the courage to debate his fellow Republicans. He also said President Trump should exit the presidential contest if he&#8217;s convicted of any \u200bof the \u200c91 \u200dcriminal charges he faces.<\/p>\n<p>But Mr. \u200cDeSantis didn&#8217;t even come \u2063close to making those\u2064 types of headline-grabbing declarations during his speech at the summit. He\u200c made only obtuse references to President Trump: \u201cAs a leader, I always conduct\u200c myself\u2064 in a way that\u2063 you\u200b can be proud of,\u201d an apparent contrast to President Trump\u2019s brash behavior.<\/p>\n<p>He made no direct \u2064hits on\u2062 the former president. Perhaps that was because Mr. DeSantis\u2063 was trying to \u2064avoid irking \u2064the crowd, as a pair \u2064of Trump critics had earlier\u200d in the day, some audience members\u2062 suggested.<\/p>\n<p>Two other presidential hopefuls\u2013Arkansas Gov. \u2064Asa Hutchinson and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie\u2013drew angry shouts, taunts, and booing \u2062after they criticized President Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Hutchinson told The Epoch Times that he expected \u2063such a response. But Mr. \u200dHutchinson felt he\u2064 needed to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/facebook-coo-wants-platform-to-get-involved-with-religious-services\/\" title=\"Facebook COO Wants Platform To Get Involved With Religious Services\">make people aware<\/a> that a conviction of President \u2064Trump could cause lasting\u2064 damage to the Republican Party.<\/p>\n<p>Audience members\u2062 dismissed those concerns, saying\u200c they think\u2062 that President Trump will somehow prevail or could be\u200d pardoned; if he&#8217;s convicted and then elected president, he could pardon himself\u2062 for federal crimes but not offenses charged under state law.<\/p>\n<p>Legal woes notwithstanding, President Trump remains the undisputed frontrunner as\u2062 he seeks the GOP nomination for\u2063 the third time.<\/p>\n<p>All\u2064 of his \u2063challengers, including\u200d Mr. DeSantis, \u200dare running far behind in opinion\u2064 polls. President Trump is outdistancing Mr. DeSantis\u200c by\u2063 46 points nationally, according to RealClear Politics; in Florida, President Trump was 35 percentage points ahead of the governor a \u200bmonth ago, according \u2064to \u2064pollsters Fabrizio, Lee &#038; Associates.<\/p>\n<p>The third-place opponent in most\u2062 polls, former South \u2062Carolina Gov. Nikki\u2063 Haley, canceled her appearance at the summit but an organizer said she was unable to say why.<\/p>\n<p>Conference attendee John Hearton \u2063of Satellite \u200dBeach, Florida, who&#8217;s\u2063 running for Congress,\u2063 told The Epoch Times\u200b that he sees an enthusiasm gap\u2062 between President Trump and the other candidates.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen\u2062 Trump holds an event, it\u2019s really an event. \u200cHuge numbers of people\u200d show up, and they\u2019re enthusiastic about it,\u201d Mr. Hearton said. \u201cNo \u2062candidate in this race inspires that kind of\u200d response other than Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Like Versus\u2064 Love<\/h2>\n<p>Debbie Diorio, of Celebration, Florida, marked\u2064 her \u200b62nd\u2062 birthday by \u200dcoming\u2063 to hear President \u2064Trump speak \u200bat the summit\u2014the first time\u2062 she\u200b has attended one of his speeches \u200din person.<\/p>\n<p>After learning that Mr. Hutchinson had been booed after\u2063 predicting that a\u200d jury would likely convict President\u2062 Trump of a felony next year, Ms. Diorio opined: \u201cHe should not have said that\u2014not here. I mean, you\u2019re \u2064in a Republican \u200cconvention, and \u200ceverybody loves Trump.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She thinks that most attendees at the event feel the same \u2064way\u2062 that she does \u2064about \u200bthe\u200d two \u2064men.\u200b They like their governor. But they love President Trump, \u2063she said.<\/p>\n<p>Spence Rogers, 44, a married father of\u2063 three who \u2064lives in the Tampa Bay\u2064 area, now supports\u2063 Mr. DeSantis despite \u200dhaving been\u2063 a \u200dfervent supporter of President \u2063Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Rogers worked on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/marriott-att-airbnbheres-the-list-of-corporations-announcing-they-wont-donate-to-gop-lawmakers-who-objected-to-electoral-votes-from-contested-states\/\" title=\"Marriott, AT&#038;T, Airbnb\u2026Here\u2019s The List Of Corporations Announcing They Won\u2019t Donate To GOP Lawmakers Who Objected To Electoral Votes From Contested States\">political action committee<\/a> and served as \u200da 2016 delegate for then-candidate Donald Trump at the \u2062Republican \u200bNational Convention.<\/p>\n<p>Despite current polling, Mr. Rogers believes that Mr. DeSantis can win the party\u2019s nomination and the presidency.\u2064 He pointed\u2064 to \u200cpast candidates\u200c who \u200chad \u2063been behind but then surged ahead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI like \u200bthat he wins \u2063elections by large numbers, and he follows through\u2064 on what he says\u200b he\u2019s going to do,\u201d Mr. Rogers said.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, Mr. DeSantis won\u200b reelection \u200bby about 19 percentage points over his Democrat challenger\u2013the largest\u200c such margin in four decades.<\/p>\n<h2>Appreciation\u2063 for\u200c DeSantis<\/h2>\n<p>Toward the end of Mr. DeSantis\u2019s speech, the crowd hopped to its feet \u201cabout 30 times,\u201d Mr. Rogers said.\u200b He was among those cheering fans.<\/p>\n<p>Mr.\u2062 Rogers\u200c and his wife, Angela \u200dRogers, dismissed suggestions \u200cthat Mr. \u2063DeSantis might not\u2063 be prepared for the \u2063presidency.<\/p>\n<p>They pointed out that many people are happy with how he has run \u2064Florida, one of the nation\u2019s \u200bmost populous states, with almost 23 million \u200dresidents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe \u200dhave seen him go through the fire for \u2062us in Florida, and \u2062he comes out solid every time,\u201d Mrs. \u200bRogers said.<\/p>\n<p>She&#8217;s tired of hearing President\u2062 Trump \u201cbellyache\u201d over\u2062 the 2020 election, she said. He has never conceded defeat \u200cto Democrat Joe Biden, \u2062who was declared the \u200cwinner. Mrs.\u200b Rogers said that\u200c she \u200cshares many of President Trump\u2019s\u2063 concerns about the way\u200c the\u2063 election was conducted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI \u200bsympathize,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I \u200dfeel like\u200b it\u2019s \u200ba distraction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even so, \u2063one of the biggest applause lines of the night came when President Trump declared, \u2063\u201cCrooked Joe Biden\u2019s Banana Republic ends on Nov. 5,\u200b 2024.\u201d That\u2019s Election Day, when President\u2062 Trump\u200d hopes to \u2063be on the ballot\u2064 as the Republican nominee and beat President Biden\u2014or any Democrat who\u2063 might replace him.<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;Nasty Tweets&#8217; Aside<\/h2>\n<p>Maryellen Kirkwood\u200b of Sarasota, who was wearing a \u201cTrump Was Right\u201d \u2062button on her blouse, said she \u2062admires President Trump&#8217;s resiliency.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDespite being attacked on all sides,\u2062 he\u200b still was able to really accomplish a lot of\u2064 his agenda,\u201d \u2063she told \u200dThe Epoch Times. The\u200c nation was less dependent on foreign oil. Immigration laws were being enforced. \u200dThe economy was stronger.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe all had the \u200cgeneral feeling we were part of this country as one, as Americans, in \u2064spite of the nasty tweets\u2063 and all\u200d of that,\u201d she said, referring\u2063 to \u200cthe former \u200bpresident\u2019s past\u200c habit of\u200c posting \u2064biting commentary\u2063 on Twitter, now\u200c known as X.<\/p>\n<p>In a press conference after filing his candidacy \u200bfor the Florida primary, Mr. DeSantis called President Trump\u2019s campaign attacks \u2062\u201cnonsense.&#8221; He said\u200c he was \u201cdone \u2064with all of the trivialities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy view is we&#8217;ve got a job\u2063 to do,\u201d Mr. DeSantis said. \u201cWe&#8217;ve got a country that we have to fight for. \u2064&#8230; And we\u2063 need somebody who&#8217;s going\u200c to be able to \u200dlead the country to a great comeback. So\u2063 that&#8217;s what we&#8217;re focused on.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>President Trump, who also filed his \u200dpaperwork for\u2063 the Florida ballot, declared, &#8220;It is time for the Republican establishment to stop wasting time \u200dand money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Instead, the party should throw its support to &#8220;the only candidate that can withstand the attacks of\u200c the radical \u200bLeft,&#8221; he said.\u2062 Everyone in \u200bthe audience knew \u2062he \u2064was referring to \u200chimself.<\/p>\n<p>President\u200c Trump made that remark just days before the Republican National Committee&#8217;s slated\u200c third \u200dand \u200bfinal debate for its 2024 GOP presidential\u200b hopefuls. The event is \u200bset for Miami on\u2062 Nov. 8. That\u200d same evening, President Trump scheduled a rally to be held in \u200bnearby Hialeah, Florida.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s not counter-programming,&#8221; he joked.\u200b &#8220;It&#8217;s \u2062a coincidence.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u2062 How did the audience \u200dat\u2062 the\u2062 Florida Freedom Summit react to Governor \u200bDeSantis compared to President Trump?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2062 Lican rivals and suggesting that the Republican National Committee should not nominate Trump if\u2064 he is convicted \u2063of any crimes. These remarks did\u2063 not sit \u200cwell\u2062 with\u2064 the crowd at the\u2063 summit.<\/p>\n<p>When Mr. DeSantis took the\u200d stage, he received a warm \u2064welcome from the audience. He \u200cspoke confidently \u2063about his accomplishments as governor and his \u200dplans for the future \u2063of\u200d Florida. However, the reaction from the crowd was noticeably less\u200c enthusiastic than\u200d when \u200cPresident Trump spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Critics of\u2063 Mr. DeSantis attempted to voice their \u2064displeasure during \u2064his\u2062 speech, but\u200d they \u2063were quickly drowned out by boos and chants of \u201cTrump! Trump! Trump!\u201d. It was\u2062 clear that the crowd was firmly on\u2063 the side of the former president.<\/p>\n<p>The battle for the spotlight at \u2062the Florida Freedom Summit reflects a larger struggle within\u200d the Republican Party. While Mr. DeSantis has emerged as \u200da rising star within the party, President Trump still commands a devoted following and has significant influence \u2062over the direction of\u200b the GOP.<\/p>\n<p>It remains \u2064to be seen how\u200d this rivalry will play out in the\u200d coming months and years. Will Mr. DeSantis be able to carve out his own path and assert himself as a leader in the party? Or will President Trump\u2019s shadow continue to loom large\u2062 over the Republican Party?<\/p>\n<p>Only time will tell.\u200d But\u200b one thing is certain: the battle for \u2062the\u2062 spotlight is far from over.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>KISSIMMEE, Fla. \u2013 The Florida Freedom Summit showcased Governor Ron DeSantis&#8217; shining moment. Despite Former President Donald Trump&#8217;s prominent presence, DeSantis received thunderous applause from the 1,500-strong audience at the state Republican Party&#8217;s day-long event on Nov. 4.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2091446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2091445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2091445"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2091445\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2091446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2091445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2091445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2091445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}