DeSantis donors beg him to stop doing 'stupid stuff' so they don't get stuck with Trump

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign is off to a lackluster start, and some conservative donors who are desperate to be rid of former President Donald Trump are telling him to shape up.

CNN reports that some right-wing fundraisers are still unhappy with DeSantis' most recent missteps, including a video released by a pro-DeSantis PAC that criticized former President Donald Trump's 2016 pledge to protect LGBTQ Americans from Islamic State terrorists.

“People want to support Ron but don’t like this kind of stupid stuff,” one GOP fundraiser told CNN. “There are people on his team who are trying to win petty wars that make Ron look stupid. If they get that taken care of and just let Ron and Casey be Ron and Casey, then they’ll be much better off.”

Phillip Huffines, a Texas businessman who in the past has donated to Trump's campaigns, nonetheless maintained to CNN that DeSantis is more likely to defeat President Joe Biden, despite his early stumbles.

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"Trump turns out Democrats better than anybody," he argued. "DeSantis will be able to articulate more clearly what Republicans stand for and he’s not going to be bogged down with the other stuff that Trump brings to the election.”

Nonetheless, polls have shown DeSantis losing ground to Trump, even after he got indicted twice on dozens of felony counts, and even as he faces the prospect of a third indictment from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for his efforts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election to President Biden.