Staff Reports
Robert Bigelow, the Republican real estate mogul, has decided to shift his support from Governor Ron DeSantis to former President Donald Trump. Bigelow, who made a whopping $20 million contribution to DeSantis’s super PAC, Never Back Down, earlier this year, has now expressed his preference for Trump.
In an interview with the Financial Times, Bigelow explained his reasoning by saying, “Who would you want as a commander? I’d want somebody that would be a hell of an a**-kicker if he needed to be. On the face of it, you lean toward Trump.” Bigelow sees Trump as a force to be reckoned with, having the “momentum” and “inertia” to defeat any opponent. According to Bigelow, while Trump is a “bull,” DeSantis is simply “dinner.”
Ron DeSantis’s biggest donor thinks Donald Trump will win.
“I think Trump is too strong,” Robert Bigelow told me. “I think Trump has the momentum, the inertia, to beat him.”
Trump is a “bull”, Bigelow added. DeSantis is “dinner”.https://t.co/oYXQmO89C6
— Alex Rogers (@arogDC) November 8, 2023
This change in support comes after a rough patch in DeSantis’s campaign. This summer, DeSantis attempted a campaign reset in order to regain the national spotlight, as he has been struggling in the polls. However, this move did not sit well with Bigelow, who criticized DeSantis for his “extremism” and his role in implementing Florida’s six-week abortion ban.
It seems that this shift in support has damaged the relationship between Bigelow and DeSantis. Despite expecting a call from the governor, it was actually Casey DeSantis, the governor’s wife, who reached out to Bigelow. This lack of personal contact left Bigelow feeling dismissed and unimportant in DeSantis’s eyes.
The recent Florida Freedom Summit, where both Trump and DeSantis appeared on stage together, showcased Trump’s continued popularity over DeSantis. Many Republican state lawmakers have pledged their support to the former president, indicating a decline in support for DeSantis in his own home state. A recent poll from the University of North Florida portrays Trump with a significant lead over DeSantis, with 59% of Republican primary voters favoring Trump compared to DeSantis’s 29%. This demonstrates a potential uphill battle for DeSantis in his pursuit of the GOP nomination.
It remains to be seen how DeSantis’s campaign will respond to Bigelow’s switch of allegiance. However, it is clear that DeSantis may need to reassess his strategy and find a way to regain the support he has lost.
