Republican Mega-Donor Abandons Trump: ‘DeSantis Is a Leader’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to a crowd at the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, S.C., on April 19, 2023. Sean Rayford/Getty Images

A Republican mega-donor is supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis instead of former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race.

Hal Lambert, who served on Trump’s inaugural committee in 2016, said that he made the decision to support DeSantis due to the governor’s prospects of winning the 2024 race.

“I’m in for DeSantis this time. I plan to do a lot to help DeSantis win,” Lambert told The New York Post in an interview published on May 21. “Ron is good at giving a message.”

“DeSantis is a leader who knows how to govern, not just have news headlines and slogans,” Lambert added, and said he believes the governor is on the right track on issues such as border security, energy independence, and school choice. He said that overall, DeSantis has a successful conservative record in Florida.

Lambert is also the founder of Texas-based Point Bridge Capital, an investment firm that manages an exchange-traded fund named “MAGA ETF.”

According to the company’s website, the MAGA ETF channels investments into companies that align with Republican political beliefs. The MAGA Index comprises 150 companies from the S&P 500 whose employees and political action committees (PACs) are supportive of Republican candidates.

Lambert said he decided to support DeSantis after dining with the governor and his wife Casey a few weeks ago. He said Florida’s first lady “will be a real asset.”

As for Trump, Lambert said he was turned off by the former president’s remarks about the 2020 election during a CNN town hall earlier this month.

“What voters who didn’t vote for Trump in 2020 are going to vote for him this time based on his performance? I don’t think anyone will,” Lambert said.

“We can’t talk about things from four years ago that can’t be changed,” he said. “Trump is going to have a difficult time winning the general election. The election won’t be about [President] Joe Biden’s bad record. It will be a referendum on Trump instead.”

Nevertheless, Lambert acknowledged that it’s “going to be a battle” for DeSantis to defeat Trump.

“You have to beat Trump and not alienate Trump’s voters. We need them to win the general election,” he explained.

Lambert also claimed that Trump’s poll numbers will drop once DeSantis officially enters the 2024 race.

“Trump’s support will drop under 50 percent,” he said.

According to a survey by Harvard CAPS-Harris that queried 2,004 registered voters from May 17 to May 18, Trump defeated Biden 47 percent to 40 percent in a hypothetical matchup. When Biden faced off against DeSantis, the two were tied with 42 percent of support each.

DeSantis has not announced his candidacy, but is expected to make his decision known soon.

Apart from Trump, several other major Republicans have officially announced their White House bids, including former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, conservative radio host Larry Elder, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).

Bryan Griffin, press secretary for DeSantis’s office, told Fox News that Lambert’s support countered media narratives.

“Much to the media’s chagrin, this proves that donors continue to be impressed by Governor DeSantis and support him in bringing his successes to the national stage,” Griffin said. “Clearly the media’s shared talking points for that narrative were yet again backed by nothing but their agenda.”

Trump’s campaign dismissed Lambert’s decision to support DeSantis.

“This fraudster is a thirsty climber desperate to be relevant. He has no political juice and is a low-level player that doesn’t even register on the radar of influence,” a campaign spokesperson told the Washington Examiner in a statement.