Even in the face of an indictment on 34 alleged felonies in a Manhattan court and potentially more legal troubles on the horizon, former President Donald Trump continues to attempt to shore up support for another White House bid in 2024.
And now he’s aiming directly for the financial backers of the man expected to be his biggest competition for the Republican nomination.
The Trump campaign wrote a memo, obtained by Politico, directly to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s campaign donors urging them to jump ship and send funding to Trump.
The three-page memo was written by Trump campaign pollster John McLaughlin and was included in an email along with a link to a Trump donation page.
“The two things the memo illustrates are the President’s huge numbers and Governor Ron DeSantis’ collapsing numbers,” the Trump campaign wrote in the memo. “Now is the time to demonstrate your support and join” the Trump effort.
Currently, Trump’s campaign coffers are bulging with an influx of funds since the announcement last Wednesday of his indictment in New York over hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels over a sexual escapade that were allegedly improperly paid out from campaign funds.
Over $12 million have been raised in the past week, with one-third of the cash coming from first-time donors, according to Politico.
The memo also cites polls that show support for Trump as the 2024 Republican nominee growing while DeSantis slides, with Trump rising from 52% to 63% support since January and DeSantis slipping from 41% to 30% in the same time frame.
“One on one, President Trump against Governor DeSantis, who was seen as his strongest opponent, has built a 2 to 1 decisive majority in support,” the memo reads.
Still, DeSantis already reportedly has $90 million in leftover funds in his political war chest, so if the Florida governor does decide to officially throw his hat in the Presidential ring, he is expected to hit the ground running.
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