Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis made a surprise last-minute appearance in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday night shortly after former President Donald Trump canceled his scheduled rally in the area, citing weather conditions.
DeSantis spoke at a fundraising event for Rep. Randy Feenstra in Sioux Center earlier in the day before flying to Cedar Rapids for a panel discussion with Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kauffman. The unscheduled appearance in Des Moines took place at a barbeque joint nearby where the Trump campaign was planning to hold its rally.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis talks with reporters after speaking at a fundraising picnic for U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, Saturday, May 13, 2023, in Sioux Center, Iowa.The second trip to Iowa this year for DeSantis comes as he inches closer to a 2024 presidential campaign bid. Those filings would be the most official sign yet, on paper, of a 2024 presidential bid for the Florida governor. "If you spend more than $5,000 to open your [2024] federal campaign headquarters, then you have officially taken action to run for office. There's no debating whether that particular action reflects intent to be a candidate or not, so you would be obligated to file," one campaign finance expert told CBS News on Saturday.
On Saturday, DeSantis was in Sioux Center, Iowa, to speak at the annual family picnic hosted by Rep. Randy Feenstra. He was greeted by over 600 attendees who each paid $50 to get into the event, which is raising money for Feenstra. During DeSantis' remarks, he lauded his own accomplishments in Florida and joked that Florida is the"Iowa of the Southeast" because of how the two states similarly handled the COVID-19 pandemic and are now tackling education issues.
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