- Nine Florida lawmakers will join Trump at the Iowa State Fair.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is slated to attend the fair the same day as Trump's obvious troll.
Nine Florida lawmakers will join former President Donald Trump at the Iowa State Fair, giving a very personal edge to the latest way the Trump campaign has found to troll Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, The Des Moines Register reported.
According to the Register, nine Florida U.S. House lawmakers that have endorsed Trump will join him for a key campaign stop at home of the first-in-the-nation caucuses. Reps. Byron Donalds, Matt Gaetz, Gil Bilirakis, Carlos Gimenez, Brian Mast, Cory Mills, Anna Paulina Luna, Greg Steube, and Mike Waltz will all join the former president.
DeSantis will be appearing at the fair on the same day.
Three other Florida congressmen, Reps. Vern Buchanan, John Rutherford, and Daniel Webster have also endorsed Trump over DeSantis.
This is just the latest way Trump's campaign has found to needle DeSantis, who served in Congress before becoming governor. Donalds, who has tussled with DeSantis over Florida's new standards for teaching slavery, was once a close ally of the governor. Ditto for Gaetz, who helped lead DeSantis' gubernatorial transition team.
The former president's allies previously orchestrated the announcement of some of his Florida endorsements just as DeSantis was making a visit to Capitol Hill. Trump has a commanding lead in endorsements from members of Congress, per Insider's tracker. More than 70 House lawmakers and 10 senators have said they will back Trump's bid. In comparison, DeSantis has secured the backing of just five House lawmakers. As a former president, Trump started the fight for endorsements with an incredible advantage.
The Iowa State Fair is a major event for presidential hopefuls, who often flip pork chops and gawk at the butter cow alongside Iowans and throngs of journalists. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is also hosting a series of "Fair-Side Chats" with candidates, though Trump declined to join her. Trump has criticized Reynolds, the state's leading Republican, for not showing sufficient loyalty out of the belief that she owes him for winning her first election to the office.
Trump previously raised eyebrows at 2015 State Fair when he offered children free helicopter rides.
A representatives for DeSantis' campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.