Trump re-endorses Mike Lee after DeSantis shoots ad backing the Utah senator, as simmering 2024 rivalry spills into public view
- Trump issued a re-endorsement for GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah after DeSantis shot an ad for him.
- The ad was paid for by Club for Growth Action, a Super PAC that has drawn Trump's ire in the past.
Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued a re-endorsement of Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, shortly after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis partnered up with a conservative group Trump has criticized.
Club for Growth Action, the conservative Super PAC that has drawn Trump's ire, paid for a 30-second ad in which DeSantis urged voters to support Lee over Independent Evan McMullin, an anti-Trumper, former CIA officer, and former Republican who ran for president six years ago.
Trump already endorsed Lee in mid-October, but issued a statement through his Save America PAC a few hours after the ad went public. In his statement, he called McMullin "McMuffin."
"The Great People of Utah have a gem in Mike Lee," he said. "He will never let you down, whereas his opponent, McMuffin, will only let you down. Mike has long had my Complete and Total Endorsement, and even more strongly now!"
Trump appears to have made the statement as an act of one-upsmanship against DeSantis, who could challenge him for the 2024 Republican nomination for president. But Trump also complained to the Washington Post in May about Club for Growth after it backed a different GOP challenger in the Pennsylvania primary than the Trump-endorsed Mehmet Oz.
Asked about Trump's re-endorsement, David McIntosh, Club for Growth Action president, told Insider that backing from numerous Republicans would help Lee win his election. He thanked Trump for "speaking out to energize Utah voters."
"Senator Lee has the support of a broad range of conservatives including President Trump, Gov. DeSantis, Gov. Huntsman and many more," he said. "Meanwhile, Utah voters know McMullin would be a rubber-stamp for the liberal policies that are driving inflation and crime."
Club for Growth Action and the allied Crypto Freedom PAC are spending almost $8 million on the US Senate race in Utah, with most funding coming from Club for Growth Action, said Club for Growth spokesman Joe Kildea.
The comments from Trump are just the latest instance in which the Trump-DeSantis rivalry is spilling into public view as the midterms get closer. In September, Trump shared an Insider article on Truth Social that featured GOP strategist John Thomas saying DeSantis shouldn't run against him.
Last week, when DeSantis recorded a robocall for Colorado Senate candidate Joe O'Dea, Trump on Truth Social declared it "a big mistake." O'Dea, who is running to unseat Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet, has vowed to "actively" campaign against Trump should he choose to run for president again.
Trump also plans to campaign with Republican Sen. Marco Rubio on Sunday, while DeSantis is running his own counter-programming of events throughout Florida over the weekend.
With signs pointing to a victory for DeSantis's gubernatorial race on November 8, the governor has been stepping up his endorsements of other Republicans, including those out of state.
"To get America on the right path forward we need a Republican majority in the Senate and that's why I'm proud to endorse Mike Lee," DeSantis said in the ad for Lee.
On Saturday DeSantis campaigned in New York for Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin, who is challenging Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul. He also has appeared alongside US Senate candidates, including Blake Masters of Arizona and JD Vance of Ohio.
Trump could announce a bid for president shortly after the midterms. Last week, DeSantis dodged a question about his 2024 plans during his lone debate against Democratic rival Charlie Crist.
DeSantis is up for reelection on November 8, and is widely expected to win because Republican registered voters in Florida outnumber Democrats by more than 300,000 people.
Trump, who is a Florida resident, told the Wall Street Journal in July that he planned to vote for DeSantis for reelection. Trump helped DeSantis secure the 2018 Republican gubernatorial nomination, but this round DeSantis has not asked for Trump's endorsement.
At his Doral golf course over the weekend, Trump called DeSantis a "nice man" and told the New York Times, "I was the one who got him elected."