Florida Governor Ron DeSantis watched as he slipped further behind Donald Trump in the polls.
Now DeSantis is on the verge of announcing a Presidential campaign.
And Ron DeSantis made one big change that will make Donald Trump nervous.
One of the digs at DeSantis over the last several months is that DeSantis keeps a tight circle of advisors that is limited to his wife Casey and that DeSantis does not do donor maintenance.
That appears to be changing.
DeSantis is reportedly bringing in new senior advisors to expand his team heading into a Presidential campaign.
“Before, people would make suggestions, but he’d still call the shots,” a GOP donor told NBC News. “He’s beginning to take advice from people who know what they’re doing.”
That was essential, this person said, “particularly after he got beat up so badly after Ukraine.”
Former Trump top advisor Michael Biundo – a top New Hampshire political operative – is also reportedly in talks to join the team.
“Another Republican familiar with recent internal conversations said Michael Biundo, the national campaign manager for Rick Santorum’s 2012 presidential bid and a senior adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign, has had discussions about joining the DeSantis team. Sources didn’t describe how formally or informally new advisers would work with DeSantis,” NBC added.
Some Republicans were frustrated that DeSantis’ key advisor is his wife Casey DeSantis and it is tough to break into the family’s circle of trust.
“I know people in DeSantis’ world that are very frustrated with her,” the donor also told NBC. “I think his chance of being president, he’s going to have to listen to his wife a little bit less and the professionals a little bit more.”
DeSantis also saw how he fell behind Trump in the polls and was determined to make a change in his operation as well as the manner in which he deals with donors and supporters.
“A lot of people think they are insular, and there were, for sure, choppy months,” a second donor told NBC. “They get that he had a lot of momentum coming out of October, but they needed to get their sea legs to make sure the donor class is less nervous.”
The recent signs for DeSantis have been positive.
DeSantis staged a well-received trip to Iowa and DeSantis sharpened his message against Trump.
Now it is just a question as to whether or not DeSantis can truly make this a competitive race against Trump.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up to date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
