Former Trump Ambassador Would Endorse DeSantis in 2024

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to police officers about protecting law and order at Prive catering hall in the Staten Island borough of New York City on Feb. 20, 2023. Spencer Platt/ Getty Images

An ambassador who served during the Trump administration has decided not to endorse his former boss for president.

Donald Tapia, who was the U.S. ambassador to Jamaica from 2019 to 2021, said he would support Florida Gov. DeSantis, should the governor decide to make a bid for the White House in 2024, according to Politico.

“The name-calling has turned a lot of people off,” Tapia said when referring to former President Donald Trump. “Let me tell you, we don’t like that.”

Days before the 2022 midterm elections, Trump began calling the Florida governor “Ron DeSanctimonious.” The former president used the same term in a recent post on his Truth Social account.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during Trump's President Day event at the Hilton Palm Beach Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Feb. 20, 2023. Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images

“Florida was doing GREAT long before Ron DeSanctus got there,” Trump wrote on Feb. 21. “People are fleeing from New York to Florida (and other places) because of high TAXES and out of control CRIME, not because of Governor (thank you President Trump!) DeSanctimonious.”

According to the news outlet, Tapia donated six figures to Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns, and has since donated more than $50,000 to DeSantis’ reelection bid. Additionally, he has also hosted fundraisers for the Florida governor.

Tapia also predicted that DeSantis’ three-day-long donor retreat at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach beginning on Friday will be “overwhelmingly” attended by former Trump supporters, according to the outlet.

Tapia

Tapia once served in the U.S. Air Force and was chairman and CEO of Essco Group Management, an electrical company in Arizona, for more than three decades before retiring in 2010. After his retirement, he devoted his time to philanthropic work, including serving on the board of directors of the Sun Angel Foundation and Endowment at Arizona State University.

In May 2018, Trump announced his intention to nominate Tapia as U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica.

In a statement (pdf) prepared for his Senate nomination hearing in July 2018, Tapia said he was “firmly committed to building our partnership with the Jamaican government in the areas of security, prosperity, energy, education, and health.”

A year later, in July 2019, Trump’s nomination for Tapia was confirmed by the Senate, following a 66–26 vote.

About two months before he stepped down as ambassador, Tapia warned the Jamaican government about using 5G technology from Chinese tech firms, such as Huawei and ZTE, in an interview with local media.

“If you were to have a hurricane, earthquake or any type of natural disaster, we cannot and will not move into a communist Chinese network because it gives them the opportunity to download all the data that we have,” Tapia explained.

In response, the Chinese Embassy in Jamaica issued a statement in October 2020, accusing Tapia of being “filled with Cold War mentality and hegemonistic mindset.”

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) formally declared Huawei and ZTE as national security threats in June 2020. The agency adopted new rules in November 2022, banning electronic equipment from Huawei and ZTE from being imported into or sold in the United States.

2024 Race

Currently, three prominent Republicans have declared their candidacy for the 2024 presidential race—Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and biotechnology entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

Ramaswamy, the author of “Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam,” announced his White House bid on Tuesday.

DeSantis, who is seen as the top challenger for Trump, has not formally announced a White House run.

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• These Republicans May Be Angling to Run for President in 2024

Trump is the favorite to win the GOP nomination, according to a new poll from Harvard CAPS/Harris. The poll was conducted on Feb. 15 and Feb. 16 and surveyed 1,838 registered voters.

The former president led Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis 46 percent to 23 percent, while Mike Pence came up third with seven percent, followed by Haley with six percent. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo finished fifth with 3 percent of support.

Trump would also perform better than DeSantis in a potential 2024 match-up against Biden.

In a race between Trump and Biden, 46 percent of those surveyed said they would vote for Trump, compared to 41 percent who said they would vote for Biden. Meanwhile, in a race between DeSantis and Biden, 42 percent said they would support the Florida governor, while 39 percent said they would support Biden.