DeSantis privately worried about Trump’s ton of election 'baggage'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsed Donald Trump — not former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley — when he dropped out of the 2024 GOP presidential primary, but it wasn't a very enthusiastic endorsement. DeSantis sounded like he was doing what he felt he had to do rather than what he wanted to do.

According to NBC News' Henry J. Gomez, DeSantis shared his concerns about Trump's election "baggage" during a Wednesday, February 21 phone conversation with his supporters. And he argued that "identity politics" shouldn't be Trump's motivation when choosing a running mate.

DeSantis, during the call, told supporters, "Now, we have a diverse Republican Party. I want everybody in the fold, don't get me wrong. But I don't want people representing 10, 15 percent of the party being in the driver's seat…. I have heard that they're looking more in identity politics. I think that’s a mistake."

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The New York Times' Shane Goldmacher reports that DeSantis, during the call, warned that Republicans need to be aware of "all the baggage Trump has."

DeSantis, according to Goldmacher, also pointed out that right-wing media will avoid criticism of Trump during the election because it isn't good for their bottom line.

The Florida governor told supporters, "Their business model just doesn't work if they offer any criticism of Trump…. He said, at some point, he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose a vote. Well, I think he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue, and the conservative media wouldn't even report on it."

During a February 22 panel discussion hosted by Alex Witt on MSNBC, NBC News reporter Dasha Burns noted that "some of the concerns that DeSantis brought up" during that phone conversation are also "the concerns of not just Democratic voters who are not going to vote for Trump, but some Republicans as well."

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Burns, who was at CPAC 2024, told Witt, "(DeSantis) brought up the issues of baggage, with all the legal problems. In the primary, that lifted him up. That helped him gain ground. In the general election, that is going to be a more difficult problem to contend with as he's trying to win over some more moderate and independent voters."

Burns added, "Here at CPAC, the primary is over. This is the Trump show."

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Read NBC News' full report here and watch MSNBC's video below or at this link.

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