Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may have endorsed his rival on Sunday after dropping out of the bitter GOP primary race against former President Donald Trump.
But he’s not ready to let all bygones be bygones.
The Republican governor on Monday night signaled that he will not support an effort by some Republicans in the Legislature to cover Trump’s legal bills.
According to Politico, Republican state Sen. Ileana Garcia floated a bill that would set aside up to $5 million to cover legal costs of presidential candidates who are Florida residents and also “subject to political discrimination.”
Read: Top Pollster Says Florida Gov. DeSantis Voters Will Break For Trump By 2-1 Over Nikki Haley
Garcia told Politico in a statement, “We’re in the midst of an historic moment where we’re watching an election that’s trying to be stolen by left wing prosecutors, the Biden Administration and even Blue States.”
“They’re not trying to win at the ballot box; they’re trying to keep President Trump off the ballot by weaponizing the courts,” Garcia added. “Having a Floridian in the White House is good for our state — and anything we can do to support Florida Presidential candidates, like President Trump, will not only benefit our state, but our nation.”
Politico noted that state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis already endorsed the bill.
DeSantis, not so much.
Read: Florida CFO Patronis Says State Is Prepared To ‘De-Bank’ Woke Banks
In response to the Politico piece — whose headline read, “Some Florida Republicans want taxpayers to pay Trump’s legal bills — DeSantis said on X, “But not the Florida Republican who wields the veto pen.”
Trump supporters were not amused.
Conservative journalist Jack Posobiec of Human Events magazine replied, “Big Ron couldn’t keep unity for 1 full day. Once a Meatball, always a Meatball.”
Another conservative journalist, Raheem Kassam of The National Pulse added, “No one likes you, remember?”
Those were among the kinder responses.
Still, some applauded DeSantis for quickly announcing Florida taxpayers would not be on the hook for the billionaire’s legal fees.
“Why should I, as a Florida resident, help pay for Trump’s legal bills when he hasn’t helped pay for mine?” posted Jenna Ellis, one of Trump’s former lawyers who last October pleaded guilty in the Georgia election fraud case.
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