(WASHINGTON) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis met privately with former President Donald Trump in Miami on Sunday morning, multiple sources tell ABC News, marking the latest development in the pair’s rocky relationship following a contentious GOP primary in which Trump won out over DeSantis.
DeSantis requested the meeting with Trump through a mutual contact hoping to “bury the hatchet,” according to one source familiar with the interaction.
Real estate investor Steve Witkoff arranged the meeting, a second source said. DeSantis had breakfast with Trump while he was playing golf.
DeSantis’ office declined to comment; Trump’s campaign did not respond to a request from ABC News.
The Washington Post was first to report the news of the meeting.
The 2024 Republican nominating contest saw Trump, the GOP’s standard-bearer, and DeSantis, a rising conservative star, go after one another directly.
But DeSantis quickly endorsed Trump once he left the race after a distant second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses in January.
“While I’ve had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of [COVID-19 adviser] Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear,” DeSantis said then, to which Trump later responded, “I appreciate that, and I also look forward to working with Ron.”
Earlier this month, DeSantis privately signaled that he planned to fundraise for the former president’s 2024 effort at a donor retreat, a source confirmed to ABC News.
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