It is difficult to find any recent photos of President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis together.
Thats because the two of them have largely been at odds since DeSantis tried to test his MAGA bonafides and was utterly humiliated by Trump on the national stage during the 2024 Republican presidential primaries. Trump has made a point of continuing to humiliate DeSantis since he returned to office, while the soon-to-be term-limited governor of Florida tries to make MAGA amends, his political relevance fading fast.
But it appears the two are going to bury the hatchet tomorrow to come together in a shared passion: finding creative new ways to dehumanize immigrants, carried out with a trollish flair.
Youll remember DeSantis infamous stunt during the Biden administration, when, following Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts lead, he duped, transported and dumped a plane full of migrants in Marthas Vineyard. In the months following the incident it was revealed that the DeSantis administration lied to those it put on the plane, promising jobs and shelter only to dump them in a community that was not prepared to assist them.
Its becoming a well worn tactic for DeSantis upending the lives of migrants in a headline-grabbing way to own the libs/score some media coverage to boost his political significance. At the time of the Marthas Vineyard incident, DeSantis was toying with the idea of a Trump primary challenge. Much of his second term work as governor of Florida was seen as an attempt to establish himself as a MAGA prodigy by trafficking in Trump-adjacent authoritarian extremes, like a new police force to ferret out people who may have illegally voted in the 2020 election an effort to play into Trumps various election-related conspiracy theories.
What Trump and DeSantis are doing in Florida this week is similar. By now youve likely seen the new name for the facility that the pair are meeting up to cut the ribbon for on Tuesday. Alligator Alcatraz is opening at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Florida Everglades. It will have up to 5,000 beds to hold immigrant detainees and process them for deportation. The facility will cost about $450 million a year in operational costs, according to the Associated Press. The state of Florida will pay to run the facility and the federal government will reimburse Florida with FEMA funds that are typically used to house people displaced by natural disasters. (Youll recall, the Biden administration was ripped to shreds by Trump and his allies for using those funds to house migrants in hotels while they went through the immigration process.)
Environmental groups have already filed a lawsuit to try to stop the facility from opening, at least until it undergoes an environmental review, since it is located in the Everglades, surrounded by protected land. But the fact that it is in a swamp has turned into a bit of a ghoulish selling point for the Trump administration and DeSantis, as they brag about how supposedly dangerously remote the facility is.
There is only one road leading in and the only way out is a one-way flight, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CBS News this week. It is isolated, and surrounded by dangerous wildlife in unforgiving terrain.
When the president comes tomorrow, hes going to be able to see, DeSantis told reporters during a press conference Monday, adding that Trump is very excited to see the facility.
They aint going anywhere once theyre there, unless you want them to go somewhere, DeSantis said Monday. Because good luck getting to civilization. So the security is amazing natural and otherwise.
The DOJ filed a notice on Monday that it intends to appeal a ruling from U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell, issued in May, that blocked the Trump administrations executive order attacking law firm Perkins Coie. Its the first time the administration has appealed one of the orders from judges that blocked its effort to sanction a private, high-profile law firms of the sort that sometimes take on cases that run counter to the Presidents political interests.
Per WaPo:
Perkins Coie was the first of four firms targeted by Trump that sued to fight his actions. The firms that challenged Trumps actions in court have an undefeated record so far, with judges blocking his orders, and sharply criticizing them, in each of the four cases. Nine other law firms sought to avoid or undo executive orders by striking deals with the Trump administration, pledging nearly $1 billion in combined pro bono work for causes including helping veterans.
While the worlds richest man issued a rather weak public apology for his part in his recent feud with President Trump over the reconciliation package which the Senate is expected to vote on in days, if not hours that never meant Elon Musk was going to back down from railing against the big, beautiful bill. Since announcing his retirement and no vote on the package this weekend, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) has been striking a similar tone, issuing warnings about the dire consequences of not just the Medicaid-slashing aspects of the bill, but also the risks of dismantling Biden-era clean energy tax incentives.
A shocking new poll from Gallup out today finds:
A record-low 58% of U.S. adults say they are extremely (41%) or very (17%) proud to be an American, down nine percentage points from last year and five points below the prior low from 2020. The 41% who are extremely proud is not statistically different from prior lows of 38% in 2022 and 39% in 2023, indicating most of the change this year is attributable to a decline in the percentage who are very proud.
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