Florida governor and potential US presidential candidate Ron DeSantis will meet Foreign Secretary James Cleverly when he visits the UK at the end of the month. The Republican politician also expects to visit companies with “significant investments in Florida”. Before the UK, he will make stops in South Korea, Japan, and Israel. Mr. DeSantis is widely expected to run for president in 2024 but has not yet formally announced his candidacy.
In the contest to win the Republican presidential nomination, Mr. DeSantis will likely have to beat former US President Donald Trump – another White House hopeful. Mr. DeSantis’ website describes the worldwide tour as an “international trade mission” aimed to build on the economic relationships between Florida and the four countries. He will be joined by his wife Casey, Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd, and Florida Secretary of Commerce Laura DiBella.
It is not uncommon for politicians planning a tilt at the White House to travel abroad to meet foreign leaders ahead of the contest, in the hope of burnishing their presidential credentials. In 2008, both John McCain and Barack Obama met Gordon Brown and David Cameron, then the prime minister and leader of the opposition respectively. Mr. DeSantis has recently made the news for his fights with Disney – the theme park based in his state – and for introducing a law that bans education about sexual orientation and gender identity for pupils aged nine and under.
