Republican mega-donor abandons Trump, endorses DeSantis

A Republican mega-donor that previously supported former President Donald Trump announced that he would endorse Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for the 2024 Presidential elections. 

"I’m in for DeSantis this time — I plan to do a lot to help DeSantis win," Hal Lambert, founder of Point Bridge Capital, told the New York Post. "Ron is good at giving a message."

Lambert added that he supports DeSantis because he believes in the governor’s ability to win the elections because of his conservative record. According to the donor, DeSantis has a successful record in Florida and agrees with him on several issues including school choice, border security, and energy. 

"DeSantis is a leader who knows how to govern, not just have news headlines and slogans," Lambert said, adding that his decision stems from a meeting with DeSantis and his wife Casey a few weeks ago. Casey DeSantis “is amazing,” he added.

Lambert previously supported Trump and even served on the former president’s inaugural committee in 2016. However, he said that Trump is too focused on 2020 for the upcoming elections. 

“What voters who didn’t vote for Trump in 2020 are going to vote for him this time based on his performance? I don’t think anyone will,” Lambert said.

"We can’t talk about things from four years ago that can’t be changed," Lambert said. "Trump is going to have a difficult time winning the general election. The election won’t be about Joe Biden’s bad record. It will be a referendum on Trump instead."

Lambert added that former president Trump will be a formidable opponent and it will be a “battle” to beat him. Regardless, he claims that support for Trump will decline after DeSantis announces his candidacy in the coming week. 

“You have to beat Trump and not alienate Trump’s voters. We need them to win the general election,” he said. 

Point Bridge Capital, also known as MEGA ETF, is an exchange-traded fund based in Texas that invests in companies with employees and political action committees that back Republican candidates, reported Fox News. Point Bridge Capital manages an investment fund names after Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.”