The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), with at least 47 chapters throughout the United States, is holding its annual leadership meeting in Las Vegas, November 18 to 20, to which it invited at least two major Republicans former President Donald Trump is not enamored with: former Vice President Mike Pence and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The guest list includes at least three additional potential candidates for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024: Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo, and Ted Cruz. All three have been on the list for a while, with their pictures featured on the RJC website. Now, the group sent out a combination invitation-fund raiser that reads:
Following his historic victory, Governor Ron DeSantis is set to take the stage at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s Annual Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas, and we want to surprise him and all our speakers by CRUSHING our RJC Leadership fundraising goal, but we’re still $7,689 short!
That’s an oddly small amount money in campaign terms – I mean, they’ve got another whole week of fundraising to fill up…
But the truly surprising fact is that the RJC is inviting DeSantis, who is fast becoming Trump’s arch-nemesis. As we reported on Wednesday (Candidate Trump Warns DeSantis Not to Run Against Him in 2024), Donald Trump warned Florida’s re-elected governor against facing him in a run for the GOP presidential nomination in 2024, telling Fox News, “I think he would be making a mistake. I think the base would not like it.”
The warning was made just hours before DeSantis won 59% of the vote for a second term as governor.
Trump’s attorney Alina Habba told Fox News, “I think I like what DeSantis is doing in Florida. But, he needs to stay in Florida.”
The RJC website says it is “the unique bridge between the Jewish community and Republican decision-makers. We are committed to building a strong, effective, and respected Jewish Republican voice in Washington and across the country — and with your help, we can continue this important mission.”
Nevertheless, according to many media sources, an overwhelming majority of American Jews voted for Democratic candidates in the midterm elections, citing three main reasons: the return of the abortion issue to the state level, their fear for the future of democracy in the US, and the fact that a disturbing number of Republican candidates and GOP supporters used antisemitic tropes (and what about all those Democrats doing the same?).
The RJC email, on the other hand, stressed:
“RJC is ecstatic to host Governor DeSantis for our upcoming meeting, but we need your help, David, to make sure we hit our goal before he takes the stage! Chip in any amount to show you stand with Governor DeSantis & RJC when we say we will ALWAYS protect & defend our values.”
So, that’s why they said they were $7,689 short. They want ME to fill the gap.
Good to know.
