Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will officially enter the race for president next week, according to multiple sources — setting up a heightened face-off with his one-time ally, former President Donald Trump.
After months of speculation about a White House run, DeSantis, 44, will likely file paperwork declaring his candidacy on May 25, a source told Reuters.
That coincides with a meeting in Miami, in which donors are being told they’ll be put to work.
Following the briefing, the fun begins!” reads an invitation obtained by Bloomberg News.
“All guests are encouraged to stay and work with the Team through the night of the 25th Casual attire and jeans encouraged!
After filing the paperwork, DeSantis will then have a more formal launch the week of May 29, according to one of Reuters’ sources. DeSantis will formally launch his 2024 run next week, sources told Reuters.REUTERS
Representatives for DeSantis did not immediately return a request for comment.
The 76-year-old Trump has already focused many of his attacks on the much-younger rival, dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious” and playing up how his challenger was previously fully devoted to Team Trump.
Trump — a Florida resident — had endorsed DeSantis to help him win his first run for governor in 2018.
Now, the former president is accusing him of being disloyal for even thinking about running against him.
DeSantis has been pitching himself as a younger, more vibrant option — and one without the ever-growing, historic legal dramas plaguing the former commander-in-chief.
However, Trump is still leading in the polls, with a 36-point advantage in the RealClearPolitics average of polls.
Federal election laws require DeSantis to announce he is running before contributions can be solicited.
Still, a new political action committee supporting him, Never Back Down, can raise unlimited funds, and has been hiring staff in early voting states, running TV ads championing DeSantis and knocking Trump.
With Post wires
