OAN’s Sophia Flores
4:58 PM – Thursday, November 2, 2023
Senator Tim Scott has officially endorsed Donald Trump for president, which comes as a surprise to many since the Republican is from presidential candidate Ron DeSantis’s state.
Scott (R-Fla.) made the announcement in an op-ed published in Newsweek on Thursday.
“I support my friend President Donald J. Trump to be the 47th president of the United States and encourage every Republican to unite behind his efforts to win back the White House,” Scott wrote.
“It’s time for the Republican Party to come together, behind one candidate, and declare with one voice that we are united in our efforts to defeat Joe Biden and rescue America.” he continued.
Scott announced in April that he had no plans to enforce a candidate during the primaries. However, over the weekend in Las Vegas at the Republican Jewish Coalition summit, he hinted that he had changed his mind.
“Just think what we had with the last president — the most pro-Israel president in the history of this country,” Scott said to an audience. “Some people have different opinions about Donald Trump, but he did more for Israel than any president in the country.”
This is also not the first time that DeSantis (R-Fla.) and Scott have not seen eye-to-eye. Prior to becoming a senator, Scott was the governor of the Sunshine State for two terms and their friction began soon after the two were elected to their current positions.
DeSantis’s transition team clashed with Scott’s outgoing administration. Additionally, Scott refused to attend his swearing in as senator in order to remain governor until DeSantis’s inauguration, which he left early.
Scott has also refused to stand by the governor in his fight against Disney, as he personally has only had “positive” interactions with the entertainment giant.
However, DeSantis has bad blood towards Scott as well. During the first weeks of COVID-19, when unemployment numbers were going up, DeSantis blamed the prior gubernatorial administration. He claimed that Scott had intentionally built a system that has was designed to discourage residents from applying for aid.
On the other hand, Scott’s relationship with Trump has always been positive. In 2020, Scott was one of the eight senators who refused to certify Biden’s election win as being legitimate.
The 45th president has maintained a lead over his competitors since the start of his campaign. According to RealClearPolitics national polling, Trump is leading the pack with 59.3% support. Meanwhile, the Florida governor is in second place and has 13.4% support.
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