Gov. Ron DeSantis is “very good” and has bestowed a “great honor” upon Donald Trump by renaming the airport neighboring Mar-a-Lago after him, the 47th president said Wednesday.
Trump’s praise for the Florida governor — previously rare for his former presidential opponent — comes one week after state lawmakers agreed to spend $2.75 million to rebrand the Palm Beach International Airport.
“Ron’s good. He’s a friend of mine. He just named an airport after me,” Trump told the New York Post. “They named the Palm Beach International Airport the Donald J. Trump International Airport.”
“That’s a great honor,” he added.
The president’s comments came in response to questions about whether DeSantis could be the next U.S. attorney general. The former chief legal officer, Floridian Pam Bondi, left her post in April over her handling of the Epstein files and failure to prosecute Trump’s enemies.
Trump noted that although DeSantis is “very good,” he’s “never talked about” wanting that position. Trump added that he’s pleased with the job acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has done so far.
DeSantis, in an olive branch to the administration, signed off on the airport’s name change in late March — contingent on Palm Beach County approving a trademark deal with Trump’s companies.
The county commission approved the plan in early May, although it estimated Florida taxpayers would have to front roughly $5 million.
On May 19, the Federal Aviation Administration approved a $10 million grant for new restrooms, a sensory room, and lactation suites at the airport. Florida taxpayers will cover $2.75 million to replace the airport’s signs, according to the new, lawmaker-approved state budget. The Senate initially wanted $5.5 million for the airport, but came down to the House’s $2.75 million offer.
DeSantis has until July 1 to sign the budget into law.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.
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