The recent indictment of former President Donald Trump on charges related to alleged hush money payments to an adult film star has pulled many DeSantis-leaning Republicans back to Trump, boosting his quest to re-enter the White House in the 2024 election.
Larry White, a self-described Republican conservative, was considering voting for Ron DeSantis in the presidential nominating contest, believing the Florida governor had a better chance of winning back the White House from the Democrats than Trump, according to a report from Reuters.
However, news of Trump’s indictment changed his mind.
“Now I am absolutely voting for Trump,” said White, 75, a Nevada musician. “The indictment was the last straw for me, because Trump has suffered so much political abuse. I think he’s the strongest candidate to contest what the left is doing. I’m all in.”
Reuters spoke to 35 Republican activists and voters who expressed plans to vote in the nominating contest to choose their 2024 White House candidate.
Twenty of them had initially considered backing DeSantis over Trump. But the news of the indictment changed the minds of 14 of them, as they now reconsider supporting Trump.
Pepe Kahn, who attended a Republican club meeting in Henderson, expressed his renewed support for Trump, saying, “I was really for Ron DeSantis. I’m now more likely to support Trump than before. I think people who were more neutral than before will now go in to bat for him. This is the most frightening thing I’ve ever seen in the U.S.”
Even DeSantis, who has yet to announce his candidacy, called the indictment “un-American,” and party leaders have rallied behind Trump.
Republican strategist and Trump critic Sarah Longwell has conducted several focus groups this year with individuals who voted for the former President in the 2016 and 2020 elections, Reuters notes.
According to her, all nine members of her most recent focus group stated they would vote for Trump over DeSantis in the Republican primary after hearing about the indictment.
“People always feel defensive on his behalf,” Longwell said.
Trump’s campaign reportedly raised over $4 million since news of the indictment broke, a spokesperson for Trump, Steven Cheung, saying that the charges had “surged” support for the former President.
