Major Republican Donor Ditches DeSantis Over Abortion, Book Bans

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has sought to present himself as a saner alternative to Trump while publicly picking fights over hot-button culture-war issues, yet it appears he is failing to win over both MAGA die-hards and the GOP’s more moderate wing. Far from being on the verge of dethroning former President Donald Trump, DeSantis is hemorrhaging support from the Republican donor class due to his radical stances on social issues, according to the Financial Times. “Because of his stance on abortion and book banning . . . myself, and a bunch of friends, are holding our powder dry,” said tech entrepreneur and major GOP donor Thomas Peterffy, who as recently as January had said he was “looking forward” to throwing his weight behind DeSantis. DeSantis has picked high-profile fights over books in Florida school libraries his administration deemed inappropriate, and he signed a law Friday banning all abortions after six weeks in the state.