What happened
Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) met privately on Sunday with a mutual acquaintance, real estate investor Steve Witkoff, who brokered the detente between the former bitter Republican presidential primary rivals. The hourslong meeting was described as "friendly," The Washington Post said.
Who said what
It was a "good meeting set at the request of Gov. DeSantis," a Trump campaign official said to Politico. Three DeSantis donors said it was "smart" for the two men to make peace.
The commentary
"DeSantis is widely loathed inside Trump's orbit," the Post said, but Trump "has shown a willingness to be forgiving and remarkably transactional when it benefits him." In this case, DeSantis is a "prodigious fundraiser," and Trump "badly needs the cash in the general election" against President Joe Biden's flush reelection campaign, Axios said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What next?
DeSantis is "not seen as a contender" to be Trump's running mate, The New York Times said, but he has "made clear he is interested in running for president again in 2028" and aiding Trump could help him "shed the negative weight of his disappointing campaign."
-
What to know before turning to AI for financial advicethe explainer It can help you crunch the numbers — but it might also pocket your data
-
Book reviews: 'The Headache: The Science of a Most Confounding Affliction—and a Search for Relief' and 'Tonight in Jungleland: The Making of Born to Run'Feature The search for a headache cure and revisiting Springsteen's 'Born to Run' album on its 50th anniversary
-
Keith McNally' 6 favorite books that have ambitious charactersFeature The London-born restaurateur recommends works by Leo Tolstoy, John le Carré, and more
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policingSpeed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa CookSpeed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
America: Are we now living in an autocracy?Feature 200 days into his presidency and Trump is still deepening his authoritarian grip
-
Red states join in Trump's D.C. crackdownFeature 1,200 troops arrive in Washington D.C. from six red states
-
Pomp but little progress at Trump's Ukraine talksFeature Trump's red carpet welcoming for Putin did little to advance a peace deal with Ukraine
-
What are blue slips and why does Trump want to end them?Today's Big Question The practice lets senators block a president's judge and prosecutor nominees
-
'The question is what it does for the ecosystem'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Trump arms National Guard in DC, threatens other citiesspeed read His next targets are Chicago, New York and Baltimore
