ORLANDO, Fla. — By the time Susie Wiles took the stage here at the state Republican Party’s biggest event of the year, it was clear who the star of the show was — and equally as important, who was not.
Wiles, President Donald Trump’s longtime adviser and his current chief of staff, was at the event to receive the party’s “Statesman of the Year” award, its highest honor.
“I find it amazingly wonderful that almost every speaker has talked about voter registration and grassroots,” she told the audience of party dignitaries. “It is the backbone of what we do and why we do it and why we win.”
As the evening went on, speaker after speaker hailed Wiles, with one calling her the “most powerful woman in the world.” Along with her keynote address, the main portion of the weekend convention was dominated by figures in Trump’s inner circle — some of whom had, like Wiles, previously worked for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis before publicly falling out with him.
The lineup underpinned how abruptly the Florida GOP appears to have moved on from DeSantis, the man who had for the past five years been, by far, its most prominent figure and also was once named the party’s “Statesman of the Year.”
After DeSantis’ dominating 2022 re-election bid, he quickly turned to flirting with a run for president, a move that left his power in Florida Republican circles nearly unchecked as most in the party were eager to hand the governor victories to boost his chances of getting the Republican nomination.
But DeSantis lost to Trump, who also calls Florida home. And over the weekend here, it became clear that not only has Trump taken over the Republican Party at the national level, but the state party has also fully gotten on board.
“Make no mistake, this is Donald Trump’s — not Ron DeSantis’ — GOP,” an adviser to the Florida GOP said. “Anyone who thinks otherwise has not paid attention since Iowa. Voters are ready to move forward and not focus on figures of the past.”
“Florida will continue to be the national standard bearer, with or without Ron DeSantis,” the person added.
That sentiment was palpable over the weekend at the Rosen Shingle Creek hotel that hosted the Florida GOP event.
Along with Wiles, Trump deputy chief of staff James Blair, a former DeSantis administration official, addressed the audience, as did Tony Fabrizio, Trump’s top pollster, who was joined on stage by Chris LaCivita, the co-manager of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
Not only was the Trump theme overwhelming at the event, the feeling of the party moving on was made more acute because many who were given prime speaking slots were those with whom DeSantis has had public feuds in the past — most notably Wiles. LaCivita also spent much of the early phases of the 2024 presidential campaign attacking DeSantis, including calling him a “sad little man.”
DeSantis did give a well-received speech at the event, but was given a 2 p.m. speaking time, which was well before the main dinner speeches that featured the Trump-heavy lineup.
“I’m sure he was not thrilled by it,” said a former DeSantis adviser who remains an ally of the governor. “He had to notice, it was hard not to. But I would point to his polling numbers. He’s still a very popular figure with Florida Republicans.”
In July, a poll from the University of North Florida had DeSantis’ approval marginally rating higher than Trump’s, 83% to 82%, with both remaining overwhelmingly popular with Republican voters in the state.
But along with his diminished presence at the state party event where he was once the star, DeSantis for the first time since first being elected in 2018 received significant pushback from the state’s Republican-dominated Legislature earlier this year on an immigration measure — a move that sent clear signals that his stock with Florida Republican leaders is dropping.
His status in his own state will also continue to be challenged in the 2026 midterms, as he struggles to find a candidate he can support to replace him as governor.
The current front-runner is Rep. Byron Donalds, who was quickly endorsed by Trump and has amassed an early war chest of more than $22 million. Many of DeSantis’ supporters have publicly attacked Donalds, who has not yet returned fire, and there is little expectation that DeSantis will endorse his campaign.
The most prominent name to consider getting in the race has been DeSantis’ wife, Casey DeSantis, but after months of speculation, she does not appear poised to make any announcement in the near future.
Polling had Casey DeSantis and Donalds neck and neck, but after Trump’s endorsement, Donalds quickly cut into what was once her dominating lead.
“Casey DeSantis was an early favorite when we asked about this in fall of 2023 with 22%, ahead of Donalds with 9%, and 40% undecided, but after Trump’s endorsement of Donalds and as we get closer to August 2026, DeSantis’ lead has all but disappeared,” Michael Binder, head of UNF’s polling department, said in late July. It’s “now inside the margin of error for this poll,” he said.
