Ron DeSantis’ 2024 campaign is cutting staff as it burns through cash and struggles to gain on Donald Trump less than two months after he announced his White House bid.
The presidential hopeful was forced to lose about 10 staff as money is drying up and his campaign is faltering on the back of poor public appearances and an apparently muddled strategy.
The Florida governor is now plotting a major reset, starting with an unusual mainstream media blitz, to reassure backers alarmed by his performance since his botched live presidential launch on Twitter in May.
The DeSantis campaign posted an impressive $20 million haul in second-quarter fundraising, surpassing the $17.7 million raised by Donald Trump.
Figures show the 44-year-old governor saw a surge in fundraising after declaring his presidential bid on May 24, followed by a sharp drop as he struggled to gain momentum.
The uptick was mostly driven by deep-pocketed donors, more than two-thirds of whom have now reached their donation limit. Just 15 per cent of the cash came from small-dollar donors.