Ron DeSantis hopes to raise at least $10M to boost Trump

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hopes to raise at least $10 million as part of a multistate fundraising swing for former President Donald Trump, a man he fought in a bitter primary race but with whom he has now found a cautious truce.

“I think we believe Biden needs to be beat, and the governor is willing to put the sword down,” a top DeSantis adviser said. “They have had several good conversations as recently as last week.”

The fundraising events will begin as soon as July and likely run through September, the DeSantis adviser said, with multiple events expected in Texas, California and Washington.

The plan is to tap into states where DeSantis already had substantial donor networks from his own presidential bid to be able to quickly raise cash for Trump.

“It’s in places where there is existing infrastructure for stuff like this,” the DeSantis adviser said.

The money raised will be used to fund media buys in key swing states targeted by Trump’s political orbit.

The fundraising events will technically be for Right for America, a pro-Trump super PAC started in January and led by Ike Perlmutter, the former chairman of Marvel Entertainment at Disney, who is a longtime GOP rainmaker who has been a political supporter of both Trump and DeSantis. The arrangement was first reported by The Associated Press.

The wire service reported that Trump called into a South Florida donor event hosted by DeSantis this month to praise his former political rival.

“Ron, I love that you’re back,” Trump said.

The committee so far has raised $13 million, of which $10.1 million has come from Perlmutter and his wife, Laura, according to campaign finance reports.

“Ike has been helpful over the years, so a lot of it just made sense,”