This week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) and former President Donald Trump will conduct dueling fundraising fundraisers just a few miles apart in the Sunshine State.

Some former Trump fans, including a former Trump megasupporter who served as the previous president’s ambassador, have already defected to DeSantis.

Thursday night, Trump will gather his biggest donors at Mar-a-Lago for his PAC’s first fundraising event of the year, which Politico describes as “an intimate candlelight supper.”

Four miles away at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach, DeSantis wants to host a far larger, three-day celebration.

In a story for Politico on Tuesday, Alex Isenstadt wrote that DeSantis’ dinner would “be watched for which contributors attend, particularly how many were once supporters of Trump who may be eager to desert from the former president to the Florida governor.”

Isenstadt remarked that DeSantis is already engaged in all the typical actions of a presidential contender prior to entering the race. The governor is on tour to boost his national profile and is getting ready to write a book. DeSantis has also garnered the backing of a large number of erstwhile Trump supporters.

In the list of defectors is Don Tapia, a former CEO of an electrical company who served as Trump’s ambassador to Jamaica. He is an Arizona donor. Tapia contributed six figures to Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns, but he claimed he would back DeSantis if he ran in 2024, according to Isenstadt.

Tapia stated to Politico why he no longer supports Trump: “The name-calling has turned off a lot of people.” Tell you what, we don’t like it.

In addition, Tapia “predicted that the retreat will be ‘overwhelmingly’ attended by former Trump supporters” who may favor DeSantis.

According to reports, the Florida governor will speak about his recent political initiatives, “including his ongoing fight with Disney, his decision to send planes of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., and his battle against what he has derided as “woke” liberals,” and provide a “data-focused briefing on the reelection win.”

Trump has already attacked DeSantis harshly, referring to him as a “globalist,” a “RINO” (Republican in name only), and even implying that he once “groomed” young women.