| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and good Wednesday morning. Interesting timing — The potential indictment of former President Donald Trump is poised to be the biggest political story of the moment — if not the year or more. And as that situation brews, Gov. Ron DeSantis sat down with Piers Morgan at the governor’s mansion to give a lengthy interview that will be televised on Fox News' subscription service, Fox Nation. Controlled release — Morgan has highlighted snippets of the exchange to the New York Post — another Rupert Murdoch-owned media property — where DeSantis suggests somehow that a presidential bid would not be about a primary with Trump but about President Joe Biden. Narrative — “If I were to run. … I’m running against Biden,” DeSantis told Morgan, according to one of the excerpts. “Like we [him and Trump] are competing for the Republican, potentially, I get that, but ultimately you know the guy I’m gonna focus on is Biden because I think he’s failed the country. I think the country wants a change. I think they want a fresh start and a new direction and so we’ll be very vocal about that.” Highlights — Now much of what DeSantis told Morgan in what's been released so far echoes what the Republican governor has said elsewhere and does not constitute a huge revelation. He did tell the television host that while he hasn’t made up his mind about a presidential bid, there’s a chance he could skip the race because “I’ve got a young family” and “different obligations.” Assertions — Morgan also contends that DeSantis took more pointed jabs at Trump than before in his interview, including hitting him over his management style as well as Covid-19 and saying he would have fired Anthony Fauci. (This isn’t the first time, however, that he has faulted Trump over Covid policy and DeSantis has made his disdain of Fauci a regularly occurring feature of his speeches.) Pushing back — DeSantis did give this dig when he was asked about “Ron DeSanctimonious” and the nicknames given to him by Trump: “I mean you can call me whatever you want, just as long as you also call me a winner because that’s what we’ve been able to do in Florida, is put a lot of points on the board and really take this State to the next level.” Initial response — For what’s it worth, Trump allies reacted harshly to the interview. “Just as radical Dems are indicting Trump & destroying the fabric of our nation with their Police State tactics, DeSantis pathetically runs to the liberal media on orders from his RINO establishment owners to attack my father," Donald Trump Jr. tweeted yesterday. "He's exposing himself as 100% Controlled Opposition!” — WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official for Gov. DeSantis. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | |  | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | PALM BEACH STORY — “Trump at Mar-a-Lago: Magical thinking and a perp-walk fixation,” by The New York Times’ Michael C. Bender and Maggie Haberman: “Donald J. Trump claims he is ready for his perp walk. Behind closed doors at Mar-a-Lago, the former president has told friends and associates that he welcomes the idea of being paraded by the authorities before a throng of reporters and news cameras. He has even mused openly about whether he should smile for the assembled media, and he has pondered how the public would react and is said to have described the potential spectacle as a fun experience. No one is quite sure whether his remarks are bravado or genuine resignation about what lies ahead.” — Everything you should know about the potential Trump indictment, by POLITICO’s Erica Orden — MAGA protesters in Manhattan crowded out by anti-Trump rivals, by POLITICO’s Wesley Parnell — “Die-hard Trump fans station themselves near Mar-A-Lago. Key supporter: ‘Vitally important that you keep it peaceful,’” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Anthony Man and Shira Moolten — “The porn star, the checks and the president: Trump’s tawdry path to peril,” by Washington Post’s Rosalind S. Helderman | 
Mariano Laboy, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, stands in front of Trump Tower ahead of a possible announcement of a criminal indictment of the former president on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston) | AP |
AS THE PAGES TURN — “Sources: Special counsel claims Trump deliberately misled his attorneys about classified documents, judge wrote,” by ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, Alexander Mallin and Lucien Bruggeman: “Prosecutors in the special counsel's office have presented compelling preliminary evidence that former President Donald Trump knowingly and deliberately misled his own attorneys about his retention of classified materials after leaving office, a former top federal judge wrote Friday in a sealed filing, according to sources who described its contents to ABC News.”
— “Trump’s potential indictment caps decades of legal scrutiny,” by The Associated Press’ Jill Colvin — Dems play it cool on Trump’s legal jeopardy, by POLITICO’s Burgess Everett, Marianne LeVine and Daniella Diaz — “Trump, claiming arrest is imminent, trounces DeSantis in new 2024 poll,” by New York Post’s Mark Moore | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | AND AWAY WE GO — “Donna Deegan, Daniel Davis advance to Jacksonville mayoral runoff election,” by Florida Times-Union’s Hanna Holthaus and David Bauerlein: “The wide-open race for Jacksonville's next mayor dropped to two candidates Tuesday night, sending Democrat Donna Deegan and Republican Daniel Davis to the general election in May. With 180 of 186 precincts reporting, Deegan captured 39.5% of the vote, making her the first woman to make it to a Jacksonville mayoral runoff. Davis came in next with 24.7%.” — “Escambia School Board votes against return to elected superintendent,” by Pensacola News Journal’s Brittany Misencik | | DESANTISLAND | | BEHIND CLOSED DOORS — “DeSantis privately called for Google to be ‘broken up,’” by ProPublica’s Andy Kroll and Documented’s Nick Surgey: “Florida governor Ron DeSantis has frequently railed against ‘Big Tech.’ He has accused Google, Facebook and Twitter of silencing conservative voices. But in private, DeSantis has gone even further. In previously unreported comments made in 2021, DeSantis said technology companies like Google ‘should be broken up’ by the U.S. government. DeSantis, widely considered a presidential hopeful, made the remarks at an invite-only retreat for the Teneo Network, a 'private and confidential' group for elite conservatives.” — “‘A great balancing act’: DeSantis’ response to potential Trump arrest an early ’24 test,” by McClatchy D.C.’s Alex Roarty — “Inside Ron DeSantis’s plan to ride anti-vaxxism to the White House,” by Vanity Fair’s Kelly Kasulis Cho
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WHEN 3 VETOES AREN’T ENOUGH — “Alimony overhaul bill is back again in the Florida Legislature,” by News Service of Florida’s Dara Kam: “After three vetoes of similar measures, a proposal to revamp state alimony laws — one of the most emotionally charged issues tackled by Florida lawmakers over the past decade — is back on track in this year’s legislative session. Supporters of changing the laws and The Florida Bar’s Family Law Section, who’ve fiercely clashed over the issue in the past, say they’ve reached an accord on the latest version. But left out of the mix are the 'First Wives,' a group of mostly older women who have traveled to the state Capitol year after year to plead with Republican leaders to leave existing alimony agreements off the chopping block.”
APPROVED ON PARTY LINE VOTE — “Army vet, charity fundraiser tell lawmakers why their drag shows shouldn’t be restricted,” by Miami Herald’s Ana Ceballos: “Clad in a gray sports coat, black dress pants and shiny buckled loafers, Axavier Strick — an Army veteran who is more commonly known in Orlando by the drag stage name Darcel Stevens — sat in a committee room in the state Capitol on Monday listening to people compare drag performers to ‘sexual offenders’ and equate some of their performances to ‘child abuse.’ He had prepared remarks to address the Senate Judiciary Committee. But after hearing the comments, he improvised. ‘I am a drag queen,’ Strick said. ‘I am a big man. I fought for this country. I would die for this country. And if you have a question that you want to ask me, ask it.’” GOING BEYOND LEGISLATURE — “Florida rule would expand so-called ‘don’t say gay’ to 12th grade,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Leslie Postal: "The DeSantis administration next month could effectively bar all public school teachers from providing classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity, a move that would expand Florida’s controversial 2022 law and go even further than the legislation Republican lawmakers are pushing in Tallahassee this spring. A proposed State Board of Education rule, scheduled for a vote next month, says teachers in grades 4 to 12 'shall not intentionally provide classroom instruction' on either topic, expanding the prohibition in last year’s law that critics dubbed 'don’t say gay.'” — “‘Open carry’ is now on the table as permitless carry bill goes to the House floor,” by Florida Phoenix’s Mitch Perry — “Florida House panel backs limited year-round schools plan,” by News Service of Florida’s Ryan Dailey — “‘The Don’t Say Period Bill?’ Anatomy of a sex ed bill moving through Florida Legislature,” by Tallahassee Democrat’s James Call — “Wilton Simpson wants saving farms treated as national security concern,” by Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles | | DATELINE D.C. | | FLORIDA MAN — “How Rick Scott became the senator Washington loves to hate,” by the Daily Beast’s Sam Brodey: “To hear him tell it though, taking all that incoming—praise from the right, gloating from Democrats, seething from the GOP establishment—is the cost of sticking to his principles. ‘I did something we should all be doing,’ [Sen. Rick] Scott told The Daily Beast while walking through the Capitol last week. ‘I put out my ideas, it’s what I believe in, it’s what I ran on, and I represent my state.’ Asked if he’d dispute his inclination to get a rise out of Washington, Scott put his head down and chuckled. ‘I don’t know about that,’ he said, though he expressed surprise that Biden ultimately featured him so heavily in his State of the Union address.” — “Congress to take up ban on student menstrual history questions with Parental Bill of Rights,” by Palm Beach Post’s Katherine Kokal | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | RESOLVED — Former Rep. Joe Harding pleads guilty in federal fraud case, by POLITICO’s Anna Wilder: Former state Rep. Joe Harding, the Republican lawmaker who last year sponsored the Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed “Don't say Gay bill,” pleaded guilty Tuesday in connection to fraudulently obtaining $150,000 in federal Covid-19 relief loans. Harding, who initially faced six counts, pleaded guilty in the Gainesville federal courthouse to one count each of wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements. … Harding’s attorney, Peg O'Connor, said they did what was best for Harding and his family. Harding is scheduled to be sentenced on July 25. | 
Former Rep. Joe Harding shown here when he was still in the Legislature | Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP Photo |
TOSSED — “Dorworth’s River Cross suit against Seminole rejected by state appeal court,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Martin E. Comas: “A state court of appeal Tuesday upheld a circuit judge’s ruling that Seminole’s voter-approved charter amendment that established the county’s rural boundary is constitutional, likely marking the end of developer Chris Dorworth’s legal efforts against Seminole to build his controversial River Cross mega-development.”
COMING SOON — “After DeSantis tussle, Disney World will host a major summit on gay rights,” by McClatchy D.C.’s Michael Wilner and Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas: “The Walt Disney Company will host a major conference promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in the workplace in Central Florida this September, gathering executives and professionals from the world’s largest companies in a defiant display of the limits of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign against diversity training. Disney’s decision to host the conference this fall comes amid a yearlong dispute between the company and the Republican governor, who signed a law that ended decades of autonomy at the Disney resort.” SAME AS IT EVER WAS — “Florida’s problems with mental health system flagged decades ago,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Sam Ogozalek: “These problems and more were identified in a scathing report released earlier this year by the Commission on Mental Health and Substance Abuse, a 19-person panel that Florida lawmakers created to push for reforms of the state’s patchwork of behavioral health services for uninsured people and low-income families. What’s most troubling about the group’s findings? They aren’t new.” WHAT DESANTIS’ OFFICE IS READING — “Tension between Sheriff Mina, State Attorney Worrell began months before Pine Hills shootings,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Christopher Cann: “Months before her office became the subject of an inquiry by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration, State Attorney Monique Worrell and Orange County Sheriff John Mina had a contentious conversation that foreshadowed much of the fallout from the deadly Pine Hills shooting spree. Mina’s statements during the July 8 meeting – which Worrell chronicled in a detailed email obtained by the Orlando Sentinel – accused the State Attorney of not properly pursuing charges against repeat offenders, the central criticism of Worrell’s office by the governor.” — “As Miami Beach struggles to control spring break, still few answers on weekend shootings,” by Miami Herald’s Charles Rabin — “Escambia School Board votes to keep 4 challenged books after 7+ hours of debate,” by Pensacola News Journal Brittany Misencik — “He was a mayor of a town in Haiti. Now he has to pay his victims $15M, U.S. courts rule,” by Miami Herald’s Jacqueline Charles | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | BIRTHDAYS: Former Gov. Buddy MacKay is 90 … Alan Williams, deputy assistant secretary for U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and former legislator ... Ashley Bauman, senior vice president at Mercury Public Affairs … Jeffrey Vinik, investor and owner of Tampa Bay Lightning … Paul Mitchell of The Southern Group. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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