Trump-DeSantis rivalry grows more personal 

Former President Donald Trump is expanding his support in Florida as he seeks to bury the presidential ambitions of Gov. Ron DeSantis in their shared home state.

Trump in recent days was endorsed by U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and state lawmaker Randy Fine, a longtime DeSantis ally who has advised him on Israel. He'd already secured the support of the majority of the state's Republicans in Congress. And more Florida Republicans may soon follow.

DeSantis is still a powerful governor who enacted policies long sought by conservatives and moved a traditional swing state increasingly to the right. But as the first nominating contests of the primary grow closer, DeSantis is well behind in the 2024 race and fighting a Trump campaign focused not just on winning the nomination, but on embarrassing him in his home state and nationally.

"Weakening DeSantis' standing in Florida is a clear objective of the Trump campaign," said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist who worked on the 2016 presidential campaign of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. "His entire message is built on the idea that he is a terrific governor. When Republican officials in Florida are choosing Trump over DeSantis, it really weakens the core of DeSantis' pitch."

Trump and DeSantis will be among the GOP hopefuls speaking Saturday at the Florida Freedom Summit, hosted by the state GOP at an Orlando-area convention center. Scott, Fine and four U.S. House members who already declared support for Trump are also scheduled to speak.

Four days later, DeSantis will join several candidates for the third Republican debate in Miami. Trump will again skip the debate to hold his own event in the nearby suburb of Hialeah with its own "spin room," competing with the traditional post-debate gathering...