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It also shows the despair of some Republican establishment donors looking for a viable candidate who is not Trump. Reuters also spoke to a half dozen Haley donors, advisers to donors, and even supporters of other candidates who said more donors are looking at Haley. The Haley campaign did not respond to requests for comment about donor support. Even if more donors do line up behind Haley, it may be in vain, as so many Republican voters appear set on Trump. Rob Godfrey, a Republican strategist who advises some donors, said he has also seen an uptick in support for Haley in South Carolina.

Persons: Nikki Haley, Sam Wolfe, Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, DeSantis, Trump, Haley, Joe Biden, Ronald Lauder, Andrew Romeo, John Yates, Yates, Frayda Levin, Tim Scott, Fred Zeidman, I've, Rob Godfrey, Godfrey, Alexandra Ulmer, Gram Slattery, Ross Colvin, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S, United Nations, Republican, REUTERS, Reuters, South, Trump, White, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Land, South Carolina, U.S, Florida, California, DeSantis, New Hampshire, New Mexico, China, Israel, New Jersey, Texas, San Francisco, Washington

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis talks with journalists after meeting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida at the latter's official residence in Tokyo, Japan, 24 April 2023. Reuters spoke to 16 political operatives and donors close to DeSantis to reconstruct the roughly 10-week period from mid-March - before Trump's first criminal indictment in New York - to DeSantis' campaign launch on May 24. The unforced errors in that early stage had a lasting impact on DeSantis' campaign, they acknowledged. "The president was dead set on attacking Ron DeSantis as early as possible," Chris LaCivita, Trump's co-campaign manager, told Reuters. LESSONS LEARNEDAides say DeSantis' campaign has sought to make some strategic adjustments.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Fumio Kishida, KIMIMASA, Donald Trump's, DeSantis, Trump, coy, Trump's, Chris LaCivita, MAGA, LaCivita, Ford O'Connell, unelectable, Robert Bigelow, Ryan Tyson, David Polyansky, Evan Power, Power, Gram Slattery, Jim Oliphant, Nathan Layne, Alexandra Ulmer, Ross Colvin, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Rights, Trump, Reuters, Iowa, TRUMP, Twitter, Republican, Social Security, Medicare, Inc, intoned, Conservatives, DeSantis, U.S, Congress, Republicans, Florida Republican Party, San, Thomson Locations: Florida, Tokyo, Japan, New York, Iowa, Tallahassee, Lago, San Francisco

☆ How DeSantis' Early Missteps Hobbled His U.S. Presidential Bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +11 min

Reuters spoke to 16 political operatives and donors close to DeSantis to reconstruct the roughly 10-week period from mid-March - before Trump's first criminal indictment in New York - to DeSantis' campaign launch on May 24. The unforced errors in that early stage had a lasting impact on DeSantis' campaign, they acknowledged. The DeSantis campaign told Reuters it did not want to discuss any past strategic decisions and was focused on preparing for the first nominating contests, which kick off with the Iowa caucus on Jan. 15. "The president was dead set on attacking Ron DeSantis as early as possible," Chris LaCivita, Trump's co-campaign manager, told Reuters. LESSONS LEARNEDAides say DeSantis' campaign has sought to make some strategic adjustments.

Persons: Gram Slattery, James Oliphant, Nathan Layne WASHINGTON, Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump's, DeSantis, Trump, coy, Trump's, Chris LaCivita, MAGA, LaCivita, Ford O'Connell, unelectable, Robert Bigelow, Ryan Tyson, David Polyansky, Evan Power, Power, Jim Oliphant, Nathan Layne, Alexandra Ulmer, Ross Colvin, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Trump, Reuters, Iowa, TRUMP, Twitter, Republican, Social Security, Medicare, Inc, intoned, Conservatives, DeSantis, U.S, Congress, Republicans, Florida Republican Party Locations: Florida, Japan, New York, Iowa, Tallahassee, Lago, San Francisco

[1/2] Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (R) speaks to media mogul Rupert Murdoch as they walk out of Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen, Scotland, June 25, 2016. "This provides an opportunity for a reset between President Trump and the Fox News network," Republican strategist Ron Bonjean said of Lachlan Murdoch's appointment. "The question is: does Lachlan Murdoch want to have a positive relationship with former President Donald Trump? Fox News did not immediately respond to a request for comment about political coverage under Lachlan Murdoch. Stuelpnagel said he believed the high cost of the Dominion lawsuit might make Lachlan Murdoch tread carefully on Trump coverage.

Persons: Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch, Carlo Allegri, Rupert Murdoch's, Trump, Fox, Rupert Murdoch's son, Lachlan Murdoch, Biden, Ron Bonjean, Lachlan Murdoch's, Bret Baier, Jason Osborne, Osborne, Hillary Clinton, Larry Stuelpnagel, Dan Cassino, Karen Finney, Finney, Stuelpnagel, Lachlan, Tim Reid, Nathan Layne, Alexandra Ulmer, Heather Timmons, Jamie Freed Organizations: Republican, Trump, REUTERS, Fox Corp, News Corp, Fox News, Dominion, Systems, Fox, Republicans, Social, America News Network, Northwestern University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Democratic, Thomson Locations: Aberdeen, Scotland, American, New Jersey

The raucous two-hour debate offered a view of the deep challenges the contenders face in seeking to dislodge Trump from his perch at the top of the field. The debate took place a day before Trump planned to surrender in Atlanta to face charges he sought to overturn his election loss in the state. That led to a sharp back-and-forth between Christie, Trump's biggest critic among Republican candidates, and Ramaswamy, Trump's most ardent defender. In the most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll released this month, Trump held 47% of the Republican vote nationally, with DeSantis dropping six percentage points from July to 13%. Moderators Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier, both Fox News hosts, started the debate by asking about the U.S. economy.

Persons: Asa Hutchinson, Chris Christie, Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Doug Burgum, Donald Trump, Trump, neophyte, Ramaswamy, DeSantis, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, Joe Biden, Haley, Pence, Christie, Trump's, Biden, Martha MacCallum, Bret Baier, Nathan Layne, Jasper Ward, Costas Pitas, Andy Sullivan, Gram Slattery, Alexandra Ulmer, Rami Ayyub, Kanishka Singh, Susan Heavey, Andrea Shalal, Joseph Ax, Ross Colvin, Howard Goller Organizations: Former Arkansas, New, U.S, South Carolina, North Dakota, Republican, Florida, Trump, Fox News, United Nations, Twitter, North, Reuters, Republicans, Supreme, Democratic, Thomson Locations: New Jersey, Florida, U.S, MILWAUKEE, Iowa, Ukraine, Russia, United States, Atlanta, North Dakota, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Texas, Milwaukee

[1/2] Republican presidential candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the first Republican candidates' debate of the 2024 U.S. presidential campaign in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. August 23, 2023. According to the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted before the debate, 8% of Republicans supported Pence, 7% backed Ramaswamy and 5% supported Haley. SEVERAL CONTENDERSCandidates like Pence, Haley and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott receiving attention from donors and voters is bad news for DeSantis. Jay Zeidman, a Houston-based donor and DeSantis bundler, said "the governor did what he needed to do" at the debate. But DeSantis was hardly mentioned by his rivals, and he ended up speaking less than Pence, Haley and Ramaswamy.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Brian Snyder, Donald Trump's, Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Pence, Ramaswamy, Haley, DeSantis, Trump, Brett Doster, Robert Doar, Tim Scott, assertively, Dan Eberhart, Jay Zeidman, DeSantis bundler, Nikki, Christie, Vivek, Scott, Chris Christie, Gram Slattery, James Oliphant, Alexandra Ulmer, Ross Colvin Organizations: Republican, Florida, REUTERS, Rights, American Enterprise Institute, Trump, South, DeSantis, Reuters, America, New, Thomson Locations: Milwaukee , Wisconsin, U.S, Florida, Milwaukee, Tallahassee, United States, Ukraine, South Carolina, Houston, Texas, New Jersey, California, Washington, San Francisco

Vander Plaats and his group are leaders in the state’s Christian conservative movement, which has enormous political influence in Iowa. “It’s a lot more money” than you typically see allocated in Iowa, said Steffen Schmidt, an emeritus political science professor at Iowa State University who studies political spending in the state. “We endorsed Rick Santorum and he stormed to a caucus victory due to our base of supporters,” Vander Plaats wrote. Dunwell referred a request for comment to Vander Plaats, who said Dunwell had been paid as an “independent contractor” since June. You like being around them,” Vander Plaats said on conservative podcast host Steve Deace’s show on Monday.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Scott Morgan, Ron DeSantis scrambles, Donald Trump, DeSantis, Bob Vander Plaats, Vander, Vander Plaats, “, Steffen Schmidt, ”, Andrew Romeo, –, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Ted Cruz, ” Vander Plaats, Steve Scheffler, Scheffler, “ Vander Plaats, Paul S, Ryan, Jess Szymanski, Jon Dunwell, Dunwell, Tucker Carlson, Vivek Ramaswamy, Tim Scott, Tricia McLaughlin, Ramaswamy, Scott, Mike Pence, Marc Short, Carlson, Santorum, Karen, ” Trump, Trump, Haley, Scott —, Casey, Steve Deace’s, ” Alexandra Ulmer, Joseph Tanfani, Jason Lange, Jason Szep Organizations: Republican U.S, Florida, Fair, REUTERS, Republican, Family, Foundation, pollsters Edison Media Research, Iowa State University, Family Leader, Trump, Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition, Reuters, Santorum, Iowa, DeSantis, ”, Fox News, Federal, Commission, Scott, PAC, Trust, Patriot Voices, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Iowa, Atlantic , Iowa, U.S, ” IOWA, Arkansas, Des Moines, New Hampshire, Nevada, Republic, San Francisco, Washington

Republican presidential candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, delivers remarks at the annual Christians United for Israel Summit (CUFI), at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., July 17, 2023. "Governor DeSantis has to change the dynamics," Eberhart said. DeSantis faces a crucial moment on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee at the first Republican debate of the 2024 campaign. "This is par for the course for DeSantis' campaigns," Ayres said. Republican Senator John McCain, for instance, fired almost all of his senior campaign staff in June 2007 before staging a comeback and ultimately clinching the 2008 Republican nomination.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Kevin Wurm, Donald Trump, Generra Peck, James Uthmeier, Andrew Romeo, Dan Eberhart, Peck, Uthmeier, DeSantis, Eberhart, Joe Biden, Trump's, Wilbur Ross, Romeo, Robert Bigelow, Bigelow, Trump, David Polyansky, Whit Ayres, Ayres, John McCain, Gram Slattery, Alexandra Ulmer, Tim Reid, Ross Colvin, Will Dunham Organizations: Florida, United, Israel Summit, Crystal Gateway Marriott, REUTERS, Republican U.S, Republican, Democratic, Reuters, Trump, Thomson Locations: Arlington , Virginia, U.S, Florida, Milwaukee, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles

Republican presidential candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, delivers remarks at the annual Christians United for Israel Summit (CUFI), at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., July 17, 2023. "Governor DeSantis has to change the dynamics," Eberhart said. DeSantis faces a crucial moment on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee at the first Republican debate of the 2024 campaign. It is unclear what direction Uthmeier will take the DeSantis campaign as its new manager. "This is par for the course for DeSantis' campaigns," Ayres said.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Kevin Wurm, Donald Trump, Generra Peck, James Uthmeier, Andrew Romeo, Robert Bigelow, Bigelow, Peck, Joe Biden, Trump, DeSantis, Romeo, David Polyansky, Dan Eberhart, Uthmeier, Eberhart, Wilbur Ross, Whit Ayres, Ayres, Gram Slattery, Alexandra Ulmer, Tim Reid, Scott Malone, Will Dunham Organizations: Florida, United, Israel Summit, Crystal Gateway Marriott, REUTERS, Republican U.S, Reuters, Republican, Democratic, Trump, Thomson Locations: Arlington , Virginia, U.S, Florida, Milwaukee, Washington, San Francisco, Los Angeles

He'll lose if he doesn't ... Extremism isn't going to get you elected," Bigelow said in an interview, adding that he had communicated these concerns to DeSantis' campaign. DeSantis' campaign finances have come under scrutiny in recent weeks after his campaign said it had let go 38 employees, or over one-third of staff. Bigelow said he agreed with most of DeSantis' policies, however, and that he was "spot on" in his war on "wokeism." Bigelow said he had told DeSantis' campaign manager Generra Peck that DeSantis needed to be more moderate to have a chance. DeSantis' campaign did not respond to queries about Peck and Bigelow.

Persons: Robert Bigelow, Steve Marcus, Ron DeSantis, Bigelow, Donald Trump's, He'll, isn't, DeSantis, I'm, Bryan Griffin, BIGELOW, Douglas Leone, Andy Sabin, Tim Scott, Trump, Generra Peck, Peck, Alexandra Ulmer, Jason Lange, Ross Colvin, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Bigelow Aerospace, REUTERS, Reuters, Florida, Las, Trump, PAC, Federal, Commission, DeSantis, Twitter, Thomson Locations: North Las Vegas , Nevada, U.S, Florida, Las Vegas

DeSantis was seen as a major threat to Trump at the beginning of the year but his campaign has been flagging in recent weeks. Trump has been indicted twice this year, and his poll numbers in the Republican presidential nomination race keep going up. Still, Trump dominates the Republican field, and his lead has grown stronger since the criminal charges. The problem for DeSantis and his other rivals is they have not yet worked out a way to counter a frontrunner who is facing multiple criminal charges. DeSantis has shied away from attacking Trump over the indictments, out of fear of alienating the Republican base.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Trump, DeSantis, Will Hurd, Jack Smith, Trump's, Tim Reid, Alexandra Ulmer, Lincoln Organizations: Republican, White, Trump, Iowa Republicans, Republican Lincoln Day, Republican White House, Department, Thomson Locations: Florida, Des Moines, Texas, New York

DeSantis is scheduled to visit Iowa on Friday, his third trip to the state since declaring his presidential bid. His wife, Casey DeSantis, last week traveled to Iowa to launch a national "Mamas for DeSantis" campaign focused on parental rights, hoping to win over the swing vote of suburban Republican women. DeSantis' supporters are also emphasizing what they see as the similarities between DeSantis and Kim Reynolds, Iowa's popular Republican governor, said one person close to the campaign. "The campaign has the most sophisticated and experienced team ever in Iowa, and is poised to crush DeSantis," Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said. A dearth of reliable polling in Iowa makes it difficult to assess the real strength of both DeSantis and Trump in the state.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump's, DeSantis, Trump, Chris Stirewalt, Stirewalt, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, Steve Cortes, Donald Trump, They've, Ryan Frederick, Mike Pence, Tim Scott, Casey DeSantis, Kim Reynolds, Iowa's, Reynolds, Steven Cheung, Ann Selzer, Selzer, James Oliphant, Gram Slattery, Alexandra Ulmer, Ross Colvin, Alistair Bell Organizations: Republican, Trump, American Enterprise Institute, Arkansas, Fox Business, Republican Party, Iowa, Thomson Locations: Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina, U.S, Trump, Adair County

It was unclear what proportion of the $70 million raised by Americans for Prosperity Action, the Koch network super PAC, will go directly to tackling Trump. News of the $70 million raised was first reported by the New York Times on Thursday. The Koch-backed network of political organizations was founded by Charles and his brother David Koch, who died in 2019. The Koch network has yet to back a candidate, but has joined other big Republican donors in scrambling to try to defeat Trump. The Koch network intends to make an endorsement before the Iowa caucus in early 2024, the AFP official said.

Persons: Charles Koch, Donald Trump, Koch, Joe Biden, Trump's, The Koch, Charles, David Koch, Ron DeSantis, Trump, Biden, DeSantis, Steven Cheung, Alexandra Ulmer, Ross Colvin, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Republican, Koch Industries, Prosperity, Koch, Trump, New York Times, AFP, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Florida, Iowa

Now the Trump campaign is advocating for modifications in half a dozen additional states, his co-campaign manager told Reuters. LaCivita confirmed that Nevada - an early primary state with a Trump-friendly state Republican leadership - was one of the campaign's targets. A source close to the Nevada Republican Party told Reuters - prior to the lawsuit - that Trump's campaign was lobbying for a caucus. A source close to the Republican state party in Idaho told Reuters that Trump allies had been lobbying to hold a nominating contest before May. There are an estimated 2,467 delegates up for grabs in the 2024 Republican state-by-state nominating battle.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Chris LaCivita, LaCivita, Joe Biden's shakeup, Biden, Jason Roe, Roe, DESANTIS, Ron DeSantis, You've, DeSantis, Tim Reid, Colleen Jenkins, Alistair Bell Organizations: Reuters, Republican, Trump, Nevada Republican Party, . Idaho Republicans, Democratic National Committee, Black, Republicans, Democratic Party, Republican National Committee, RNC, Florida, Thomson Locations: Michigan, Nevada, Idaho, Carolina, Georgia, Iowa, Virginia, Idaho , Nevada, Alabama, Missouri

Roszarubezhneft's five joint ventures now must rely on PDVSA-designated intermediaries that take a large share of the revenues for their services, the people said. The joint ventures are owed about $3.2 billion from sales handled by PDVSA, one of the people said. Roszarubezhneft, Russia's oil ministry, PDVSA and Venezuela's oil and foreign affairs ministries did not reply to requests for comment. It also could help PDVSA make progress toward its goal of raising Venezuela's oil output by 40% this year. Oil production at the five joint ventures has dwindled as U.S. sanctions have hampered investment and maintenance work, and deterred many buyers of Venezuelan crude.

Persons: PDVSA's Jose Antonio, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, PDVSA, Rosneft, Nicolas Maduro's, Roszarubezhneft, Alexandra Ulmer, Marianna Parraga, Vivian Sequera, Daniel Flynn Organizations: REUTERS, Chevron, PDVSA, Reuters, Washington, U.S . Treasury, National Security, State Department, Nicolas Maduro's United Socialist Party, Assembly, Thomson Locations: PDVSA's, Anzoategui, Caracas, Moscow, Venezuela, U.S, Russia, Ukraine, Roszarubezhneft, Venezuela's, Rosneft

WASHINGTON, June 15 (Reuters) - Miami Mayor Francis Suarez announced on Thursday he is running for president, joining a host of Republican candidates vying for the 2024 nomination days after front-runner Donald Trump faced federal charges in his city. Suarez, 45, released a campaign video titled "I'm Running," which showed him jogging around the south Florida city. "Being the only Hispanic candidate from either party allows me to connect with a growing segment of our population," Suarez said. Suarez has had thorny relationships with both Trump and DeSantis. He did not support Trump in his 2020 re-election bid and was critical of some of DeSantis' COVID pandemic-era policies.

Persons: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Donald Trump, Suarez, Reagan, Trump, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Suarez demurred, Katharine Jackson, Alexandra Ulmer, James Oliphant, Doina Chiacu, Alistair Bell Organizations: Miami Mayor, Republican, Reuters, Florida, Trump, Thomson Locations: Suarez, Florida, hypotheticals, Miami

☆ Trump raises $7 million for 2024 campaign since federal indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 14 (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump's 2024 White House campaign said on Wednesday he had raised $7 million since being indicted on federal charges last week, as his message of political persecution continues to resonate with die-hard supporters. "President Trump Raises Over $6.6 Million and Counting Since Deranged Jack Smith Announced Political Prosecution," Trump's campaign wrote in an email to supporters on Wednesday, referring to the U.S. special counsel investigating him. Over $4.5 million came from digital fundraising while $2.1 million was raised from a donor event on Tuesday at Trump's Bedminster Club in New Jersey. After word emerged in March that Trump was going to be charged, his campaign raised $7 million in three days, according to senior adviser Jason Miller. Trump's nearest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, has a roughly $85 million political war chest, currently held in a state account.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Trump, Jack Smith, They're, they're, Jason Miller, Ron DeSantis, Alexandra Ulmer, Mary Milliken, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: U.S, Trump's Bedminster, Reuters, White House, Democratic, Thomson Locations: New Jersey, New York, Trump's, Florida

The video does not disclose any potential AI use and the DeSantis campaign did not respond to a question about whether the images were fake or whether AI was used to create them. A person with knowledge of the DeSantis campaign operation said the Trump side had been "continuously posting fake images and false talking points to smear the governor." The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Drexel professor Stamm's forensics analysis tool suggests the images were made using an AI model called a diffusion model, which underpin popular AI image generation products like DALL-E and Stability AI. "At some point the AI systems will be outputting images that have no differences from real images," said James O'Brien, a professor of computer science at the University of California, Berkeley.

Persons: Donald Trump, Russell Cheyne, Anthony Fauci, Trump, Fauci, Ron DeSantis, Matthew Stamm, Hany Farid, DeSantis, Drexel, Biden, James O'Brien, Alexandra Ulmer, Anna Tong, Seana Davis, Rosalba O'Brien, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S, Republican, Aberdeen International Airport, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Republican White, Twitter, Trump, Drexel University, University of California, Republican National Committee, RNC, Thomson Locations: Aberdeen, Scotland, Britain, Florida, Berkeley, U.S, China, Taiwan, San Francisco

loadingWhile major social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have made efforts to prohibit and remove deepfakes, their effectiveness at policing such content varies. In total, about 500,000 video and voice deepfakes will be shared on social media sites globally in 2023, DeepMedia estimates. Jon Smith, Republican chair for Michigan's 5th Congressional district, is holding several educational meetings so his allies can learn to use AI for social media and ad generation. Political consultancies are also seeking to harness AI, further muddying the line between real and unreal. Democratic polling and strategy group Honan Strategy Group is meanwhile trying to develop an AI survey bot.

[1/2] Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the 2023 NHGOP Amos Tuck Dinner in Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S., April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Brian SnyderApril 26 (Reuters) - In his face-off with Walt Disney Co (DIS.N), Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has frequently adopted the pose of a swaggering gunfighter out of the Wild West. “There’s a new sheriff in town,” DeSantis boasts to conservative audiences nationwide as he prepares to launch his 2024 presidential bid. But as his clash with Disney escalates, so does the political risk for DeSantis and his nascent campaign. Billionaire Ken Griffin of Citadel Securities last year remarked that DeSantis’ actions amounted to “retaliation against corporate America.”“The war with Disney made some sense for a time in the context of Governor DeSantis’ presidential aspirations.

When Thiel spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention, he had more hope that the party would concentrate on economic issues, his business associate said. Four political sources also told Reuters that Thiel is taking a step back from U.S. politics. In 2012, Thiel backed libertarian lawmaker Ron Paul, and in 2016 he donated some $1.25 million to the campaign efforts of Trump, who is the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination. In the 2022 election cycle, however, Thiel emerged as a potential Republican kingmaker, contributing more than $35 million to 16 federal-level Republican candidates, according to OpenSecrets. The business associate said he was not aware of any special proviso for former employees.

[1/2] Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at the 2023 NHGOP Amos Tuck Dinner in Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S., April 14, 2023. Seemingly entrenched in culture wars, Florida governor DeSantis risks being overshadowed by Trump's fundraising, improving polling numbers and endorsements by lawmakers, anti-Trump donors say. Other polls of Republicans alone show Trump has surged into a commanding lead over DeSantis in recent weeks. History shows that early endorsements by elected party officials give candidates momentum and can be predictive of who wins a presidential nomination. These culture war appeals to Trump's Republican base so far do not appear to be working.

☆ Trump, other 2024 hopefuls seek NRA's blessing amid spate of shootings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Alexandra Ulmer | Thomson Reuters | U.S. National Affairs Correspondent Who Spent Four Years In Venezuela Covering President Maduro'S Administration | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A number of hopefuls, including Trump's closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, are deliberating if and when to jump into the 2024 race to challenge the former president for the nomination. Trump, whom the NRA enthusiastically backed in 2016 before he was even officially declared the Republican presidential candidate, will address gun aficionados in person on Friday. DeSantis, and other White House hopefuls, Nikki Haley and Senator Tim Scott, will do so by video message. Trump's campaign website says he will "always defend your Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms," but does not provide detailed policy proposals. For some fervent NRA members, however, neither Trump nor DeSantis are committed enough to the cause.

April 7 (Reuters) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has chosen a finance director for his prospective presidential campaign, two sources close to DeSantis said on Thursday. DeSantis' support stood at 21% in the Thursday poll. Others who have joined DeSantis' political operation include Jason Johnson, who served as Cruz's chief strategist in 2016, the sources said. Several high-profile operatives supporting DeSantis are Cruz alums. While the Texas senator ultimately lost to Trump, Cruz won the pivotal state of Iowa and finished second in a crowded field to the former president.

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