- Former President Donald Trump's campaign has found a new way to troll Ron DeSantis.
- Top Trump advisors wrote to DeSantis' donors with a list of his struggles.
Former President Donald Trump's campaign on Monday wrote to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' donors, urging them to press the GOP presidential hopeful on his campaign's struggles thus far.
"[I]f you still collectively pour millions of dollars into the failing Ron DeSantis campaign, you can't say you weren't warned," top Trump advisors Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles concluded in their memo.
Their message recapped a string of unflattering stories about DeSantis' campaign, which thus far has struggled to pierce Trump's commanding lead on the GOP field. DeSantis remains Trump's best-positioned challenger ahead of the first GOP presidential debate next month. The memo also came after presidential campaigns filed their legally required fundraising and spending reports from April to June.
"The numbers suggest, for the first time, that solvency could be a threat to DeSantis' campaign," the memo read, quoting an NBC report about how DeSantis' campaign is strapped for cash.
Referencing a New York Times report on Trump's commanding lead among small donors, Trump's advisors bragged that the DeSantis "can't" hope to sustain a prolonged primary fight with the former president.
In response, DeSantis' campaign pointed to a statement touting its $20 million haul in six weeks.
"Our campaign brought in more than the entire field – including a current and former president – because the enthusiasm for Ron DeSantis' movement to restore sanity to our nation and lead our Great American Comeback is unprecedented," campaign manager Generra Peck said.
DeSantis' headline-grabbing number is belied by some potential worrying signs, as Politico reported this past weekend. More than 1/3rd of DeSantis' donations came within the first 10 days of his formal launch. He also raised $2.8 million from supporters that gave $200 or less, "small donors" that are the lifeblood of some presidential campaigns since they can give continuously.
In comparison, Trump is known for his grassroots donor base.