Ron DeSantis Opposes Using Florida Taxpayer Money for Donald Trump's Legal Expenses

Ron DeSantis may have endorsed Donald Trump, but he recently condemned an effort led by a Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia, who tried to allocate funds to pay Trump's legal bills. The Florida Governor announced on Monday, January 22, 2024, that he's dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.

Reacting to a Politico article titled: Some Florida Republicans want taxpayers to pay Trump's legal bills, on X, formerly Twitter, DeSantis shunned Garcia's attempt to ask Florida taxpayers to arrange up to $5 million for Trump's legal fees. The 45-year-old wrote, "But not the Florida Republican who wields the veto pen…" 

The Sunshine State Governor challenged Sen. Garcia's attempt and threatened to veto the legislation. She has been favoring Trump's re-election in the upcoming 2024 presidential bid and filed a bill for the legislative session to ease the GOP front-runner's financial burden amid the ongoing legal battles. 

Garcia's bill has already been favored by Jimmy Patronis, Florida's Republican chief financial officer, asking the taxpayers to fund Trump. However, the Sen. announced she'd withdraw her legislative bill, and her decision came within two hours after DeSantis disapproved it on the social platform. 

In response to the Governor, she wrote, "This bill was filed on January 5 amidst a crowded primary, including two Florida residents. My concern was the political weaponization against conservative candidates, and while @JimmyPatronis brought me this bill at a time when all candidates were committing to campaign through the primary, one front-runner now remains, and he can handle himself. I will be withdrawing the bill." 

However, before this move, she defended the former president and accused the left wing of "stealing" the elections. Her statement read, "We're in the midst of a historic moment where we're watching an election that's trying to be stolen by left-wing prosecutors, the Biden Administration, and even Blue States." 

She alleged, "They're not trying to win at the ballot box; they're trying to keep President Trump off the ballot by weaponizing the courts. Having a Floridian in the White House is good for our state — and anything we can do to support Florida Presidential candidates, like President Trump, will not only benefit our state, but our nation." 

Meanwhile, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, who endorsed Trump after DeSantis announced his exit, shared her opinion on Garcia's bill, "President Trump has the means to cover his legal expenses; however, many people do not, which is Senator Garcia's concern," clarifying, "You should reach out to Senator Garcia about her bill. It is not helpful or necessary for me to weigh in on every bill."

Currently, the 77-year-old has 91 felony charges across four indictments- the Classified Documents Case, the Jan.6 Capitol Riots Case, the Hush-Money Case, and the 2020 Election Interference Case. While in some, he pleaded not guilty, others are scheduled to go on trial in the coming months. 

Despite his mounting legal troubles, Trump has plenty of supporters as he's leading in several poll results. DeSantis realized it, and in his statement, he said, "It's clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance. He further asserted that "Trump is superior to the incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear."