Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on Thursday announced he was endorsing former President Donald Trump for president in 2024, while calling on his fellow Republicans to unite behind the front-runner for the Republican nomination.
“I am optimistic that we can return America to its rightful position of economic and military strength and the undisputed moral leader of the free world, but only with strong leadership in the White House,” Mr. Scott wrote in a Newsweek op-ed published on Nov. 2.
“That is why I support my friend President Donald J. Trump to be the 47th president of the United States and encourage every Republican to unite behind his efforts to win back the White House.”
With Mr. Scott’s endorsement, President Trump has now secured the endorsement of 12 Republican senators. More importantly, it means that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has failed to secure the support of one of his home state’s senators. The state’s other senator, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), has yet to formally endorse a candidate in the 2024 race.
Mr. Scott, who also endorsed President Trump in 2016 when he was Florida governor, is running for reelection to the Senate in 2024. Mr. Scott’s campaign, in a press release announcing the endorsement, called President Trump the “strongest candidate.”
“I know most of the candidates running for president, and I respect their decision to put themselves through this very difficult process,” Mr. Scott wrote. “They’ve made their case to voters, laid out their agendas and their plans, and told their stories. Make no mistake: every single one of them would be a better president than Joe Biden.
“But Republican voters are making their voices heard loud and clear. They want to return to the leadership of Donald Trump.”
Then-Florida Gov. Rick Scott speaks with then-U.S. President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at the Pensacola International Airport in Pensacola, Florida, on Nov. 3, 2018. (Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)
Currently, RealClearPolitics’s polling average for the Republican presidential primary in Florida shows President Trump leading Mr. DeSantis by 10.3 percentage points.
President Trump took to his Truth Social account on Thursday to thank Mr. Scott for his endorsement.
“A great honor to have received such a powerful Endorsement from Senator Rick Scott of Florida. Rick is tough and smart, and he knows what America needs, especially in these troubled (By Biden!) times,” President Trump wrote.
‘Bring America Back’
In his op-ed, Mr. Scott also highlighted the former president’s achievements in foreign policy.
“He took on Communist China and stood up to dictators in Latin America. He did more for Israel than any other president in our history, bringing stability and peace in the Middle East through the Abraham Accords, while Joe Biden is undoing all the work his administration accomplished,” Mr. Scott wrote.
During four years of his presidency, President Trump chose not to follow his predecessors’ policy of engagement with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP); instead, the former president confronted the Chinese regime head-on, pushing back against its malign influence, hostile behaviors, and unfair trade practices.
The Biden administration has revived the policy of engagement. So far this year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and President Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry, have all visited China.
President Biden is scheduled to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping in San Francisco later this month, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which runs from Nov. 11 through Nov. 17. The two leaders previously met in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit.
U.S. President Joe Biden (R) and China's leader Xi Jinping (L) shakes hands as they meet on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Nov. 14, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Mr. Scott also noted that President Trump would be able to reverse course and address problems under the Biden administration’s policies.
“Appeasement of Xi Jinping and murderous dictators eroding freedom, democracy, and stability around the world,” Mr. Scott wrote. “Crime rampant in major U.S. cities and people who break laws no longer being held accountable.”
Mr. Scott added: “Biden has failed to stand up to the illegitimate communist regimes in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. He has failed to secure our border and protect Florida jobs and our agriculture industry from unfair and illegal trade practices in Mexico.”
“I know Donald Trump will work with us to fix these problems,” Mr. Scott added.
Mr. Scott noted that America was “safer and more prosperous” when President Trump was president.
“In my view there is one person running who has the strength to bring America back, who is well-positioned to win the Republican primary, and who will win the general election. And that is why I am supporting Donald Trump for president,” Mr. Scott concluded.
Frank Fang is a Taiwan-based journalist. He covers U.S., China, and Taiwan news. He holds a master's degree in materials science from Tsinghua University in Taiwan.
