Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) will travel to four countries overseas as part of an international trade mission as he prepares to make a decision on whether to enter the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
DeSantis will travel to Israel, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. The Florida governor will meet with business and government leaders such as Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, a press release detailed.
“This trade mission will give us the opportunity to strengthen economic relationships and continue to demonstrate Florida’s position as an economic leader,” DeSantis said in a statement.
On April 27, DeSantis will deliver a keynote address at an event celebrating Israel’s 75th year of independence.
DeSantis will be joined by Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd, Secretary of Commerce Laura DiBella, and his wife, first lady Casey DeSantis.
Politico’s Gary Fineout reported that the governor’s travel costs are “traditionally picked” up by Enterprise Florida, a public-private partnership between Florida’s business and government leaders.
DeSantis will meet with Japan’s prime minister & South Korea’s prime minister. Initial release says he will meet with business and government leaders in Israel and will the U.K.’s foreign minister
— Gary Fineout (@fineout) April 20, 2023
DeSantis’s overseas trip is the latest destination on a packed itinerary, as he has traveled across the country to battleground states like Iowa, Ohio, and New Hampshire in recent months as he prepares his 2024 decision.
DeSantis has consistently polled second behind former President Donald Trump in hypothetical Republican primary surveys. However, a Morning Consult poll released Tuesday found that 53 percent of Republican primary voters support Trump, compared to 24 percent for DeSantis.
Many pundits expect DeSantis to announce his 2024 plans after Florida’s legislative session ends next month.
DeSantis’s most recent out-of-state trip came on Tuesday, where he traveled to Capitol Hill to “meet behind closed doors with a select group of congressional Republicans” to gauge support for a potential 2024 presidential candidacy.
Interestingly, Rep. Lance Gooden formally endorsed Trump immediately after walking out of a “positive” meeting with DeSantis on Tuesday.
Gooden joined other congressional Republicans in endorsing Trump, including multiple members of Florida’s congressional delegation.
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter.
