DeSantis news – latest: Florida governor most popular with rich Republicans as he defends move to fly migrants to California

DeSantis on campaign trail hoping to raise national profile as 2024 race hots up

Ron DeSantis snaps at reporter who asked why he wasn’t taking questions from the public

Florida governor Ron DeSantis appears to be the preferred Republican candidate among right-leaning millionaires, according to the latest CNBC Millionaire Survey, although his arch-rival and front-runner Donald Trump is seemingly also picking up support among wealthy Americans.

The poll shows that 32 per cent of Republicans with qualifying millionaire status currently support Mr DeSantis, a drop from 54 per cent at the end of 2022, while Mr Trump now has the backing of 28 per cent, up from 17 per cent last year.

Meanwhile, the governor has met with sheriffs in Arizona and defended his state’s recent decision to fly migrants from the US-Mexico border to Sacramento, California, a move widely derided as a cruel political stunt but which he insisted was above board because the west coast state had essentially invited them with its liberal immigration policies.

“I think the border should be closed. I don’t think we should have any of this,” Mr DeSantis said. “But if there’s a policy to have an open border, then I think the sanctuary jurisdictions should be the ones that have to bear that.”

Key Points

• Inside the bitter rivalry between Ron DeSantis and Gavin Newsom
• Millionaires support Ron DeSantis but Trump support growing, says poll
• California investigating whether DeSantis involved in flying asylum-seekers from Texas to Sacramento
• Showtime documentary on DeSantis’s Guantanamo Bay career mysteriously dropped
• DeSantis wraps up first early states tour with attack on Biden

[9 July 2023 19:45 · John Bowden]

Trump Jr swoons over Elon Musk post calling Mark Zuckerberg a ‘cuck'

Just when you thought the Elon Musk v. Mark Zuckerberg rivalry couldn’t get any more childish, too.

[9 July 2023 19:15 · John Bowden]

Donald Trump high-fives fans at UFC 290 in Las Vegas

Former US president Donald Trump attended UFC 290 on Saturday night, emerging to cheers and high-fiving fans at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Mr Trump is known to be friends with UFC president Dana White, who has supported the 77-year-old during his past campaigns, and who walked Trump to his seat on Saturday night. He was also seen talking to actor Mel Gibson, and celeb chef Guy Fieri.

At one point, the former president walked over to the commentary desk, briefly interrupting analysts Joe Rogan and Daniel Cormier while they were speaking.

[9 July 2023 18:51 · John Bowden]

Judge rules Don Jr can be subpoenaed in Trump Organization case

A judge allowed for Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen to introduce one of the former president’s sons as a witness in his case against the Trump Organization, according to his attorneys.

Mr Cohen’s team had asked to use testimony from Donald Trump Jr in his case, as he served as a Trump Organization executive vice president.

“We would like to introduce testimony about what Mr Trump Jr. paid his lawyers in the exact same matters,” said Mr Cohen’s attorney, Hunter Winstead.

Jury selection will begin on 17 July, Mr Winstead told reporters.

Kelly Rissman reports.

[9 July 2023 17:54 · John Bowden]

Here’s what you need to know as the GOP gears up to investigate Hunter Biden

The Republican chairmen of three key House committees are joining forces to probe the Justice Department’s handling of charges against Hunter Biden after making sweeping claims about misconduct at the agency.

Leaders of the House Judiciary, Oversight and Accountability, and Ways and Means committees opened a joint investigation into the federal case into President Joe Biden‘s youngest son days after it was announced last month that he will plead guilty to the misdemeanour tax offences as part of an agreement with the Justice Department.

[9 July 2023 16:50 · John Bowden]

ICYMI: Appeals court ethics panel recommends Rudy Giuliani be disbarred

A disciplinary committee in Washington DC has recommended Rudy Giuliani be disbarred in the nation’s capital for his spurious efforts to overturn the results for the 2020 presidential election on behalf of Donald Trump.

The former New York City mayor led Mr Trump’s campaign of disinformation and conspiracies in an effort to alter the election results, and made numerous claims for which he later was revealed on tape to have admitted he had no evidence to make.

Mr Giuliani had “no factual basis, and consequently no legitimate legal grounds” to challenge the results of the election in states that Mr Trump lost, while his “frivolous” pursuit to undermine the outcome and disenfranchise voters “seriously undermined the administration of justice,” according to the committee’s report.

Alex Woodward has the details.

[9 July 2023 16:15 · John Bowden]

Christie hammers Trump on ABC

The former New Jersey governor was on ABC News as well as Fox on Sunday, where Mr Christie — a former cable news contributor himself — has waged much of his war against Donald Trump.

[9 July 2023 15:09 · John Bowden]

Chris Christie insists he’s not just a ‘spoiler’ for Trump’s campaign

Former New Jersey Gov Chris Christie was confronted by Fox’s Shannon Bream on Sunday — the topic being whether he really has a path to the GOP nomination, or whether he’s just running to stop Donald Trump.

Watch his response:

[9 July 2023 14:30 · Oliver O'Connell]

[9 July 2023 14:00 · Oliver O'Connell]

ICYMI: Mar-a-Lago CCTV showed prosecutors Trump was hiding more documents

Federal investigators knew Donald Trump was most likely concealing classified documents among the myriad boxes of presidential records and other paraphernalia stored at his Mar-a-Lago estate, because of surveillance footage obtained by subpoena, according to a less redacted version of the affidavit used to secure a search warrant for his property last year.

The version of the affidavit was made public late Wednesday on the order of US Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart, who has been hearing arguments from a coalition of news organisations that have been seeking access to a fully unredacted version of the affidavit.

Andrew Feinberg filed this report.

[9 July 2023 13:15 · Oliver O'Connell]

Farmers for Trump hats not made in America