A number of conservatives and former President Donald Trump lauded Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Sunday, following his announcement that he would suspend his presidential campaign and endorse the former president.
“Before we begin, I’d like to take time to congratulate Ron DeSantis and, of course, a really terrific person who I’ve gotten to know, his wife Casey, for having run a great campaign for president.” Trump said during a talk with supporters.
“He did. He ran a really good campaign. I will tell you, it’s not easy. They think it’s easy doing this stuff, right? It’s not easy. But as you know, he left the campaign trail today at 3pm. And in so doing, he was very gracious and he endorsed me, so I appreciate it. I appreciate that. And I also look forward to working with Ron and everybody else to defeat crooked Joe Biden, we will have to get him out. He’s put our country at great peril, at great peril. So I just want to thank Ron and congratulate him on doing a very good job. It’s a tough situation. It’s a tough thing to do.” he continued.
Early in 2023, when the former president was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a substantial number of Republicans rallied behind him, giving him a significant lead over DeSantis, who maintained his second-place position after entering the race, and others, according to polling experts. An event that permanently altered the race.
DeSantis stated in his withdrawal announcement that Trump was more qualified than former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and President Joe Biden.
The endorsement of Trump by DeSantis was met with widespread acclaim on the political right, including among Trump supporters.
Happy to see @RonDeSantis endorse my father and call to unite the entire GOP around him to defeat RINO Nikki Haley and ultimately, Crooked Joe Biden. We need the entire America First movement working together as a team to defeat the radical left in November!!!
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 21, 2024
DeSantis is the best governor in America and more effective at advancing conservative policies than any Republican official alive today. Dropping out now and coalescing behind Trump against Haley and the Left (but I repeat myself) is the right move. No, he didn’t run a perfect… https://t.co/yHAfoAKSbS
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) January 21, 2024
Governor DeSantis just joined Team Trump! Let's end this and focus on the Democrats and the dumpster fire they've created in our great nation. #MAGA https://t.co/7v8gwaHrbn
— Tommy Tuberville (@TTuberville) January 21, 2024
[READ MORE: DeSantis Drops Out of Race]