Ex-Trump campaign adviser Cortes endorses DeSantis for 2024

A former adviser to Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns backed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Tuesday, saying the 44-year-old “represents the best possible option to win the presidency in 2024 and to govern as a highly capable, patriotic populist leader.”

“I have worked as a dedicated spokesman and advocate for Donald Trump for much of the last seven years, so I do not arrive at that conclusion flippantly,” Steve Cortes wrote in a Newsweek op-ed announcing his endorsement.

“But our America First movement has always been bigger and more important than any one individual, and heading into this crucial election, our activism and our votes must be guided by a clear-eyed assessment of recent failures and potential future successes.”

Cortes, now an adviser to the pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down, said voters should opt out of a Biden-Trump rematch next year. 

“The country is miserable,” Cortes said. “That’s not some biased or uninformed right-wing opinion, but the harsh reality revealed by data and evidence.”

Cortes went on to cite recent polls from Morning Consult, Fox News, and the Wall Street Journal that show a majority of Americans say the nation is headed in the wrong economic direction.

He also cited two polls from NBC News and the Associated Press that reveal 70% of Americans do not want either the 80-year-old President Biden or the 76-year-old Trump to run again.

“Given this intense pessimism, this crisis of confidence, will a rematch of two incredibly unpopular politicians really inspire a national renewal?” Cortes asked.

In an potential preview of attack lines DeSantis could pursue during the Republican presidential primary, Cortes took shots at both Biden and Trump for their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic — and their embrace of California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom.

“The two figures actually agree on many key macro-level issues, such as runaway spending and deficits, COVID tactics and Anthony Fauci, and the ridiculous idea that California and Gavin Newsom somehow compare favorably to Florida and Ron DeSantis,” he said.

The former president in an April interview with since-ousted Fox News host Tucker Carlson said he “could never hit” Newsom for policy decisions “because he was so nice to me.”

“You have a very ambitious guy in California, but he’s done a terrible job with the state,” he said. “I used to get along great with him, you know, when I was president. Got along really good.”

Cortes further outlined a path to GOP victory after “disappointing losses” in the past three election cycles, saying DeSantis outperformed expectations in his Florida gubernatorial re-election win.

“Not only did Ron DeSantis win a smashing runaway victory in the race for governor by nearly 20 points, but he also lifted Republicans in the entire slate, ushering in a full GOP sweep of statewide offices for the first time since the Reconstruction era,” he wrote, pointing to an “urban, diverse” coalition of voters in deep-blue Miami-Dade County who backed the incumbent governor for a second term.

“DeSantis’ soaring 2022 success was fueled by persuading women, Hispanics, suburban voters, and independents,” said Cortes, noting DeSantis’ support among independents dwarfs that of Biden or Trump.

But Cortes also depicted the Florida governor as a candidate in the mold of Trump who would fight back against media and corporate attacks.

Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) on Tuesday became the fourth member of Congress to endorse DeSantis over Trump, joining Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Rep. Laurel Lee, the only Florida Republican to back her state’s governor.

“Courageous conservative leadership is what America needs to stand against the insanity of woke corporations, corrupt Washington politicians, and continued attacks on our faith, families, and freedoms,” Good said in a statement shared by Never Back Down.

“Governor Ron DeSantis has shown through action as Florida’s chief executive that confronting hard challenges delivers effective results for every man, woman, and child. That strength in the face of adversity is needed more today than ever before, and it is why I am unequivocally endorsing and encouraging Governor DeSantis to run for president. The calls from the Never Back Down movement are growing stronger every day for his brand of fearless conservatism to get America back on track. If Governor DeSantis runs for president, he will win.”

Cortes’ op-ed comes as Trump is waging a legal battle in New York after he was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury March 30 for allegedly concealing records of “hush money” payments to the porn star Stormy Daniels on the eve of the 2016 election.

On Tuesday, the former president was also found liable for sexual abuse and defamation against writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of raping her in a Bergdorf Goodman fitting room in the 1990s. He now must pay approximately $5 million in damages. 

More than 40 Republican House lawmakers and nine Republican senators have endorsed Trump for president in 2024.