(NationalUSNews.com) — Just hours after ending his presidential campaign, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis promised to veto a bill from one of Florida’s state senators. DeSantis announced his planned veto of state senator Ileana Garcia’s bill, which would use $5 million from the state’s budget to pay for Trump’s legal costs. According to DeSantis, Florida taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for Donald Trump’s ongoing legal battles, despite his status as the most popular Republican among the state’s residents.
Garcia initially introduced the bill to support former President Donald Trump in his ongoing legal battle in Florida, claiming that the Republican Party should stand behind the former president. Despite DeSantis’s protestations regarding the bill, other state representatives overwhelmingly support the measure. The man overseeing Florida’s state budget, Jimmy Patronis, is among the elected officials who support Garcia’s proposed plan. Although the bill received support from officials like Patronis, Garcia withdrew the proposed measure after DeSantis announced his plan to deny the proposal. Garcia subsequently released a public statement about Donald Trump, claiming that a second term under the Trump administration would be overwhelmingly beneficial to Florida citizens.
Garcia also criticized the courts overseeing Trump’s various legal cases and said that Trump is the victim of weaponized politicization. Despite Trump’s developing criminal and civil cases, the former president remains overwhelmingly popular among conservative and independent voters. DeSantis initially planned on challenging Trump after announcing his presidential bid and often portrayed himself as the Republican Party’s alternative to Donald Trump. Although DeSantis quickly became the second most popular Republican candidate, he failed to surpass Trump in critical battleground states, resulting in his suspending his presidential campaign.
DeSantis announced his decision to end his presidential bid after losing to Trump in Iowa and immediately endorsed the former president. Polls also indicated that DeSantis would finish in third place in the New Hampshire primaries. According to DeSantis, Trump is the best candidate in the Republican Party and has the best chance at challenging President Biden in the 2024 presidential election. Despite his endorsement, DeSantis doesn’t want his state’s taxes to go toward Trump’s court costs.
DeSantis also criticized Nikki Haley in his announcement, claiming that Haley is disingenuous and doesn’t represent voters’ best interests. Haley remains the only Republican running against Donald Trump for the presidential nomination, and she claims she will win in the coming months. Haley lost in New Hampshire despite her confidence, furthering Trump’s lead over the former governor. The next primary is in South Carolina, Haley’s home state, which she said gives her an advantage over the former president.
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