It was supposed to be treasure day at Mar-a-Lago, or so President-elect Donald Trump’s team thought.
As top aides continued to work on building an administration from Trump’s West Palm Beach residence last Thursday, there was at least some expectation that the next big announcement that morning would be a pick for treasury secretary.
Then everything changed.
Now, former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz says, ‘I’m withdrawing my name to run for Attorney General’ placed on social media. “Trump’s DOJ should be in place and ready on Day 1.”
Gaetz withdrew It turned out that sexual misconduct allegations and a related House Ethics Committee investigation would make it nearly impossible for him to be confirmed as the nation’s top law enforcement official. He will not return to Congress.
Trump’s team didn’t hesitate and quickly found another attorney general pick with both Gaetz’s two traits and a growing number of early administration staffers and appointments: loyalty to Trump and a strong Florida bona fides.
Just six hours after Gaetz withdrew, Trump announced his two-term pick for former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a staunch Trump ally who helped him. spread Baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
The two Floridians being tapped separately to serve in the important role of attorney general are a picture of how the early days of Trump’s second term in the White House will be heavily influenced by staff and political appointees from his adopted home state. some of the state’s most prominent lobbyists. This is a direct reflection of how Florida’s role on the national political stage has been reoriented in recent election cycles.
Florida, once the nation’s biggest swing state, is now equipped with comfortable home turf for Trump allies and Republicans. It’s a state Trump won by more than 10 percent, compared to three points he won in 2020.
“Florida has become a government-in-exile for Trump’s world,” said Evan Power, chairman of the Florida Republican Party, who has made Mar-a-Lago central to Trump’s post-White House political life. “Mix that with the conservative success we’ve had in Florida, and with the fact that the state has a very deep Republican bench at the federal level, it’s no surprise that it’s become an epicenter.”
For Trump, Bondi’s choice was a no-brainer.
“From the first moment Getz backed out, it made sense,” said a Trump ally familiar with the process. “Trump liked him coming back in 2016, and I think they were always going to find a place for him in the administration. It just opened the door.”
“It happened so quickly because it made so much sense,” the person said.
Bondi’s quick selection was also indicative of how Trump views the role of attorney general, especially as he prepares. A flurry of day 1 executive actionsmany of them are expected to face legal problems.
“You need an Attorney General on Day 1 to be able to execute your plan,” the Trump official said. “This may not be the case for all Cabinet departments, but it is here.”
At least five Floridians have been tapped by Trump for prominent jobs, including Gaetz and Bondi, Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, Rep. Mike Walz of Florida for national security adviser, and former Rep. Dave Weldon of Florida for the Center. Disease Control and Prevention.
“Florida has a great talent pool, so none of this surprises me,” said Nick Iarosi, a Florida-based lobbyist who raised money for Trump’s campaign and declared himself managing director of Washington, D.C.-based lobbying shop BGR Group after Trump won. “I’m surprised other states haven’t pushed back more, but they just aren’t.”
“But it kind of makes sense,” added Iarosi, a state Trump won handily. “Trump doesn’t just try to reward states that help him politically, he finds people who are loyal and philosophically compatible with him. He is trying to get things right.”
Some of Trump’s top White House aides are also from Florida. His chief of staff will be Susie Wiles, a longtime Florida operative who ran Trump’s first two campaigns in the state, and James Blair, a longtime Wiles lawmaker who has been named assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for legislation. political and social affairs.
It was a Florida-flavored presidential campaign led by Wills, with Blair’s political director, Florida-based pollster Tony Fabrizio as his top pollster, and longtime Florida GOP operatives Brian Hughes, Danielle Alvarez and Alex Garcia in various top positions. is a continuation. level advisory roles.
The common thread that unites them all, for the most part, is Wiles. He has long been one of Trump’s top advisers, co-chairing the Florida campaign in his first two races and co-chairing the national campaign in 2024.
Much of Trump’s influence in Florida, aside from the fact that he lives in the state and is personally involved in its politics, has been controlled by him as he has hired trusted aides and former colleagues to fill out the campaign and it’s early days. manage.
“Susie definitely brings a Florida approach,” said Brian Ballard, a Florida lobbyist and Trump fundraiser. “He’s a national player, but he obviously has major roots and connections in Florida. It’s in no small part because of him that you see so many people going into administration from Florida.
Ballard’s firm, Ballard Partners, was previously counted among the lobbyists for Wiles and Bondi, who joined the firm after he was ousted as Florida attorney general.
In addition, after Trump’s election victory, the Miami-based lobbying firm Continental, led by Carols Trujillo, who served as ambassador to the Organization of American States during the first Trump administration, opened its first Washington office. That office will be headed by Kathy Wiles, the daughter of the president’s new chief of staff.
“It’s not just those guys,” the longtime Florida lobbyist told NBC News. “You can see this in several areas because as more and more Florida heavyweights join the Trump world, it will have a positive effect on Florida lobbyists, even those without a traditional D.C. footprint.”
“It’s the way of the world,” the man added.