White House hopeful and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in a car accident on Tuesday morning while traveling to southern Tennessee, according to the governor’s spokesman.
“This morning, the governor was in a car accident while traveling to an event in Chattanooga, Tennessee,” Press Secretary Bryan Griffin told Fox News. “He and his team are uninjured.”
“We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail,” Griffin added.
It is unclear what caused the accident.
DeSantis officially launched his campaign for president in May during an appearance with Elon Musk on Twitter.
Widely considered former President Donald Trump’s top competitor in the 2024 GOP primary, DeSantis, 44, tweeted a campaign video vowing to “lead our great American comeback” before his first-of-its-kind announcement on Twitter.
Despite DeSantis’ early popularity, GOP donors have started looking for a candidate that can beat Trump as the governor continues to trail the former president in Republican primary polls.
After recent polls showed Trump holding a major lead over DeSantis, wealthy Republican donors – including billionaire businessman Ronald Lauder – are meeting with GOP presidential candidate and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, according to Politico.
During a June meeting near Charleston, Lauder and Scott met regarding the senator’s White House run. The pair are expected to meet again to determine whether or not Lauder will financially support the South Carolina senator instead of DeSantis.
Lauder previously donated $200,000 toward DeSantis for his gubernatorial race in 2018 and $10,000 toward a DeSantis super PAC last year.
“The major donors are still open and are still looking,” a Republican associated with New York’s wealthy contributors, said. “They originally were with DeSantis. They’re looking for other options and Tim Scott right now is probably their top target.”
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
