SARASOTA, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' office is pushing back on a report that the governor requested former President Donald Trump not hold his upcoming rally in Sarasota given the tragedy at the collapsed Surfside condominium building.
The conservative Washington Examiner news outlet reported Wednesday that DeSantis' office "made a direct plea" to the ex-president's team to postpone the July 3 rally.
It remains to go on as scheduled, with the president not budging, the Examiner reports. The Sarasota Police Department recently sent out a traffic advisory to the public in advance of expected traffic delays near the Sarasota Fairgrounds all day.
An unnamed Republican source reportedly told the Examiner that Trump's team needs to "read the room" given ongoing efforts to find survivors amid the rubble of the collapsed building.
DeSantis' team denied the report.
"Governor DeSantis is focusing on his duties as Governor and the tragedy in Surfside, and has never suggested or requested that events planned in different parts of Florida — from the Stanley Cup finals to President Trump’s rally — should be canceled," spokesperson Christina Pusha said in an emailed statement to 10 Tampa Bay.
"He wants all Floridians to enjoy the holiday weekend and celebrate Independence Day however they choose, while keeping the Surfside families and first responders in their prayers."
Helen Aguirre Ferré, the governor's former communications director, earlier tweeted that the story is "completely false."
Earlier this month, a conservative straw poll of potential 2024 presidential candidates found DeSantis had a slight edge over Trump -- 74.12 percent vs. 71.3 percent approval.
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