Photo: Alamy
In a blow to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has issued a last-minute endorsement of President Donald Trump on the eve of the Iowa caucuses.
It’s unclear why Rubio waited until the day before the Iowa caucuses to issue his endorsement, but it nevertheless gives Trump a strategic advantage over Gov. DeSantis, as yet another Florida lawmaker has pledged support to the 45th president.
In a statement posted on X, Sen. Rubio wrote, “When Trump was in WH I achieved major policies I had worked on for years (like expanded Child Tax Credit & tough sanctions on regime in Cuba & Venezuela) because we had a President who didn’t cave to special interests or let bureaucrats block us.”
He further explained, “I support Trump because that kind of leadership is the ONLY way we will get the extraordinary actions needed to fix the disaster Biden has created.”
Rubio’s endorsement over the weekend coincided with a surprise endorsement on the ground in Iowa at a final Team Trump Commit to Caucus Rally in Indianola, where North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum announced his public support of President Donald Trump on Sunday.
In the governor’s endorsement on Sunday, he noted that Trump’s likely win in the Iowa caucuses would “send a message to the nation and send a message to the world that Donald J. Trump will make America GREAT again.”
President Donald Trump has enjoyed a long list of high-level endorsements in the 2024 presidential race, and Sen. Rubio’s last-minute endorsement represents a big win for him in the fight for Florida endorsements in DeSantis’s home state.
Last year, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., also endorsed President Trump along with Florida GOP Reps. Byron Donalds and Anna Paulina Luna.