Donald Trump is understood to have met with Florida governor Ron DeSantis in Miami on Sunday in order to resolve their differences after a bruising primary rivalry in time for November’s presidential election.
Mr DeSantis’s campaign for the GOP nomination ended in disappointment in January after failing to live up to expectations and after he was brutally taunted by the former president, who now hopes to capitalise on his influence with Sunshine State conservative donors and sat down with him for an hours-long meeting to bury the hatchet.
Mr Trump otherwise spent his weekend lashing out at a number of his enemies on Truth Social, from independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr to outgoing Utah senator Mitt Romney, but reserved particular ire for President Joe Biden and comedian Colin Jost after they joked about him at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night.
Mr Biden teased his election rival by saying his hush money trial, which resumes on Tuesday, had left him facing “Stormy weather”, nicknamed him “Sleepy Don” and admitted that age was an issue in the contest after all: “I’m a grown man running against a six-year-old”.
Key Points
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Trump and DeSantis meet in Miami to bury hatchet after bitter primary rivalry
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Former president spends weekend lashing out at enemies on Truth Social
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‘Stormy weather’: Joe Biden pokes fun at Trump at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
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President trails Trump in poll showing RFK Jr winning one in six voters
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Barr: Angry Trump often proposed executing his rivals
Barr: Angry Trump often proposed executing his rivals
12:00 , Joe Sommerlad
I don’t know what’s more chilling about this revelation from Trump’s former US attorney general Bill Barr: that the 45th president said this sort of thing at the White House or that Barr plans to vote for him again in November anyway.
Bill Barr suggests Trump talked about executing people on several occasions, unable to recall the specific instance @alyssafarah referenced but thinking of others. “The president would lose his temper and say things like that…” pic.twitter.com/z3pJIquHug
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) April 27, 2024
Here’s Kelly Rissman’s report on Barr’s recent declaration of support for a man he once compared to a “nine-year-old child” (three years older than Biden placed him).
Bill Barr reveals he will vote for Trump despite once calling him a 9-year-old child
Trump invites himself to the White House to debate Biden
11:30 , Joe Sommerlad
The former president turned criminal defendant has suddenly begun to put pressure on his successor to debate him, despite refusing to appear on stage with his rivals for the Republican nomination last year.
Speaking outside of Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday, he proposed the White House as the ideal venue for such a contest, which Biden has said he is more than willing to be part of.
Here’s more on Trump’s challenge from Andrew Feinberg, Eric Garcia and Josh Marcus.
Trump invites himself to the White House to debate Biden
Biden trails Trump in poll showing RFK Jr winning one in six voters
11:00 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s more from John Bowden on CNN’s latest poll suggesting RFK Jr is having a serious impact on the presidential race, no doubt a major factor behind Trump’s sustained attack on the Kennedy family’s black sheep over the weekend.
Biden trails Trump in poll showing RFK Jr winning one in six voters
‘Stormy weather’: Biden pokes fun at Trump at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
10:30 , Joe Sommerlad
Another target of Trump’s fury was Saturday Night Live regular Colin Jost, who roasted him remorselessly at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday evening.
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner was really bad. Colin Jost BOMBED, and Crooked Joe was an absolute disaster! Doesn’t get much worse than this!
Donald Trump Truth Social 01:05 AM EST 04/28/24
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 28, 2024
Notoriously thin-skinned, there’s no way the Republican was going to take jokes like these with good grace.
Jost: The Republican candidate for president owes half a billion in fines for bank fraud and is currently spending his days farting himself awake during a porn star hush money trial and the race is tied? The race is tied. Nothing makes sense anymore. pic.twitter.com/59FRR2Hc3S
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 28, 2024
Jost: This maybe the worst time to be a print journalist. It is the best time in history to be a courtroom sketch artist. Just the artists and their desire to make Trump look as bad as possible. Every sketch looks like the Grinch had sex with the Lorax pic.twitter.com/w1H83LoSOc
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 28, 2024
Trump refused to attend the event when he was commander-in-chief after being mocked remorselessly in person by Barack Obama when he did go in 2011, with the 44th president riotouslessly sending up the Republican’s ludicrous “birther” conspiracy theory of the time.
President Biden also got in on the act on Saturday, teasing his election rival by saying his hush money trial had left him facing “Stormy weather”, nicknamed him “Sleepy Don” for dozing in court and admitted that age was an issue in the race for the White House after all: “I’m a grown man running against a six-year-old”.
“I’m a grown man running against a 6 year old” — Biden comes out swinging at the WHCA dinner with “Sleepy Don” jokes and jabs at his age pic.twitter.com/FmFGhUxquH
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 28, 2024
Biden: Speaking of history, did you hear what Donald just said about the major civil war battle? Gettysburg, wow. Trump speech was so embarrassing, the statute of Robert E Lee surrendered again. pic.twitter.com/ZziiBYgpQP
— Acyn (@Acyn) April 28, 2024
Here’s more on the night from Ariana Baio.
Biden quips Trump is facing ‘Stormy weather’ at White House Correspondents’ dinner
Truth Social: Trump spends weekend lashing out at enemies
10:00 , Joe Sommerlad
The former president was otherwise busy this weekend attacking his numerous enemies on his social media platform, going after everyone from President Biden to California governor Gavin “Newscum” while getting in jabs at outgoing Utah senator Mitt Romney and even Bill Maher and Howard Stern.
LETTER TO JOE: Dear Joe, now that you’ve committed to Debate on the now dying Howard Stern Show, no less, let’s set it up right now. I’m ready to go anywhere that you are. We could do it in D.C., even pinpoint the White House, or in New York when your Radical Left Fascists are…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 26, 2024
Gavin Newscum, the failed Governor of California, who is allowing his once beautiful State to go to Hell, refuses to recognize that Republicans are the Leaders on I.V.F. (Fertilization) – We are the ones taking care of Women, and now, after 53 years, where both Parties and all…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 27, 2024
Trent Staggs is 100% MAGA, and is running to fill The Mitt Romney, a Total Loser, Seat as the next Senator from the Great State of Utah! A Highly Successful Entrepreneur, who has served brilliantly as Mayor of Riverton for the past six years, Trent knows how to Create Jobs, Stop…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 27, 2024
He reserved particular venom for independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, however, amid recent polling indicating the anti-vaxxer is attracting the support of potential Trump voters.
Why did Junior’s family go so bonkers at the thought of him running against Crooked Joe Biden? Because they are Radical Left Lunatics, and they can’t conceive of their even more Liberal brother running as anything else???? MAGA2024 Don’t waste your Vote on Kennedy!
Donald Truth…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 29, 2024
Page 2: His Radicalized Family will never allow him to be a Republican, and his Chief “Funder” is the V.P. Candidate that nobody ever heard of, except her ex-husband, who’s been stripped of a big chunk of cash. She puts herself down as a businesswoman, or maybe a doctor, and…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 27, 2024
Page 3: I lived with RFK Jr. in New York and watched him convince Governor Cuomo to make Environmental moves that were outright NASTY. Upstate New York was not allowed to drill or frack as Ohio, Pennsylvania, and others ripped off New York Energy. Because of this, prices have…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 27, 2024
I actually watched, first time in a long time, ratings challenged Bill Maher’s really boring interview with RFK Jr. last night, only to find that Junior’ is far more LIBERAL than Maher and, in fact, far more LIBERAL than anyone running as a Democrat, including West and Stein. Yet…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 28, 2024
RFK Jr. is a Democrat “Plant,” a Radical Left Liberal who’s been put in place in order to help Crooked Joe Biden, the Worst President in the History of the United States, get Re-Elected. A Vote for Junior’ would essentially be a WASTED PROTEST VOTE, that could swing either way,…
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 27, 2024
Here’s Ariana Baio with more on his angry reaction to RFK Jr, who has claimed he was approached by the Trump campaign to be the Orange One’s running mate.
Trump calls RFK Jr ‘wasted protest vote’ after strong polling with Republicans
Trump and DeSantis meet in Miami to bury hatchet after bitter primary rivalry
09:35 , Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump is understood to have met with Florida governor Ron DeSantis in Miami on Sunday in order to resolve their differences after a bruising primary rivalry in time for November’s presidential election.
DeSantis’s campaign for the GOP nomination ended in disappointment in January after failing to live up to expectations and after he was brutally taunted by the former president, who now hopes to capitalise on his influence with Sunshine State conservative donors and sat down with him for an hours-long meeting to bury the hatchet, according to The Washington Post.
Trump has consistently fallen behind President Joe Biden’s fundraising efforts so far and is exploring all avenues as he seeks to make up the difference.
Although the front-runner ridiculed DeSantis throughout the campaign – taking credit for his election to the governor’s mansion, mocking him for wearing heeled cowboy boots to appear taller and calling him “Ron DeSanctimonious” and “Meatball Ron” – the governor endorsed Trump for the presidency when he announced the suspension of his campaign.
The pair have reportedly not spoken since, however, and DeSantis was branded “a sad little man” in February by Trump campaign aide Chris LaCivita after criticising the candidate.
Sunday’s detente was intended to bring an end to that animosity between the two men.
Good morning!
09:15 , Joe Sommerlad
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Donald Trump’s race for the White House and numerous legal entanglements.
The Republican presidential candidate’s New York hush money trial is in recess on Monday but, never fear, there’s plenty more going on in Trumpworld to keep us occupied.
