DeSantis planning private Utah fundraiser with top GOP donors: report

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is reportedly set to hold a private fundraiser in Utah later this month amid speculation that he’s eyeing a potential bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

The Florida governor and rising conservative star’s plans were reported on Thursday by CNBC. DeSantis’s campaign did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment on the engagement.

DeSantis is scheduled to travel to Utah the week of July 18, according to CNBC. While the gathering is ostensibly being held to benefit his 2022 reelection campaign, the fact that DeSantis is traveling outside his home state to raise money is likely to fuel chatter about his future political aspirations.

The exact date of the fundraiser or who’s hosting it isn’t yet clear, though CNBC reported that it’s expected to attract some of the country’s wealthiest political donors.

It’s not the first time DeSantis has traveled outside of Florida for political engagements. He attended a fundraiser in South Carolina in May where he met with several prominent donors. He has also raised money in states like Wisconsin and California and attended Nebraska’s annual Steak Fry — a conservative gathering hosted by Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) — alongside other prospective presidential candidates.

DeSantis has repeatedly brushed off the suggestion of a 2024 White House bid, insisting that he’s focused only on his reelection campaign. Still, his clout among Republicans has swelled in recent years, and party officials, donors and operatives frequently mentioned him as a prospective presidential contender.

And while former President Trump remains the most popular Republican in the country, early polling of the 2024 race suggests that DeSantis is gaining ground.

Last month’s University of New Hampshire Granite State Poll showed DeSantis leading Trump in a hypothetical match-up in the crucial first-in-the-nation presidential primary state.

Likewise, DeSantis’s favorability rating surpassed Trump’s in a recent University of Nevada poll.

The talk of a potential White House campaign has also fueled rumors of tensions between DeSantis and Trump, who endorsed DeSantis during his 2018 bid for the governor’s mansion and still takes credit for much of his political success.

The two men have both said publicly that their relationship remains on solid ground, and they were photographed talking to one another during a wedding earlier this year at Trump’s Palm Beach, Fla., club. 

Nevertheless, Trump has reportedly griped privately about DeSantis’s rising popularity, as well as about the Florida governor’s refusal to say that he won’t run for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination if Trump mounts another campaign.