Republican donors who were backing or considering backing Ron DeSantis and other alternative candidates to Donald Trump are now returning to the former president, recognizing his lead over his rivals appears insurmountable.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Donald Trump will be the nominee of our party,” said Ed Broyhill, who served as Trump’s finance chairman in North Carolina in the last election but had been considering moving his support to DeSantis or Mike Pence in 2024.
“I have met with all the candidates. None are close to the level of support Trump has,” he explained, noting Trump’s grassroots support provided him with a “solid foundation”.
Other donors returning to Trump’s donor list include Oklahoma oil and gas baron Harold Hamm, who had previously supported DeSantis and Nikki Haley, and South Carolina financier Scott Bessent, who previously donated to Pence and Tim Scott.
Pressed on why donors who had sought to displace Trump as the GOP’s leading man are now writing checks for him again, one unnamed money man told NBC the answer was simple: “Why? It is easy, I want to win.”
