The Republican Party of Florida chairman Christian Ziegler is remaining neutral in the Trump vs. DeSantis war, reiterating he respects “both men” and will support whoever the nominee is and be their “biggest cheerleader” once the grassroots chooses their candidate.
“I’m a party guy. … The easiest way to explain it is whoever our nominee is, whoever our candidate is, whoever our elected Republican is, I’m going to be their biggest cheerleader. That’s my job,” Ziegler said in response to a question on whether he supports Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or former President Donald Trump.
“Now as chairman of the Republican Party, that’s my job,” he said, before specifically praising both men — Trump for being a “transformational candidate” and noting that the former president essentially made the GOP a “fighting party rather than a social club.”
“We became a fight club, right?” he said, noting he has also been extremely supportive of the governor.
“All you have to do is Google Christian Ziegler Ron DeSantis, and you’ll see no one has been in the press more than I have promoting the governor and what he’s done because I think he’s done an outstanding job, especially on the cultural issues, which for me, are a big passion of mine,” Ziegler said, noting that his wife, Bridget Ziegler — the conservative chair of the Sarasota County School Board — is also a major player in the DeSantis agenda.
“He just appointed her to the Disney board in Orlando. She’s obviously very close with the governor as well. And even me, I mean, during his campaign, I was asked to help kick off his rallies and get the crowd going before he spoke. So I have a good relationship with both men. I respect both men. I’m going to work hard for whoever a nominee ends up being,” he said, reemphasizing his commitment to remaining neutral throughout the potential primary battle.
“But my job with the party is to make sure that the grassroots are organized, mobilized energized. We’re out there executing on the ground for get out to vote for whoever our Republican nominee is,” he said, adding that he oversees the GOP grassroots in Florida and ensuring that they are going to be “the most organized, aggressive and successful state party in the entire country.”
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This is the same attitude the GOP chair expressed during a March interview with Breitbart News Saturday.
I’m a fan of the party staying neutral,” he said, explaining the disconnect it could create within the party if the grassroots chose one candidate after the party chose another.
As Breitbart News reported:
He added further perspective, recalling the crowded GOP field in 2016, which included the likes of Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio in the mix. That year, the grassroots in Florida overwhelmingly came out for Trump. However, if the Florida GOP had gone all-in for one of those other candidates during the primary, it would have resulted in a major disconnect with voters, who chose Trump.
“And if the party were to get involved back in 2016, I promise you it probably would have been for one of them [Bush or Rubio]. And we saw the grassroots — 66 out of 67 counties in Florida — went with Trump. So there would have been a big disconnect. That’s why I’m a fan of the party staying neutral,” he said, explaining that the party will be ready the “moment” after the primary to go to battle for the nominee.
“We’re going to support both men up until that primary is over, and then we’re gonna get to work,” he added.
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Ziegler’s remarks come as the battle intensifies between Trump and DeSantis, the latter of whom has not formally announced a presidential bid but has remained coy when asked about his intentions. Speaking to Piers Morgan last week, DeSantis said he does not have a primary challenger “quite yet.”
Meanwhile, as Trump awaits a potential indictment, DeSantis has made it clear that his administration will not be involved, dismissing it as a non-issue, concerning some conservatives.
WATCH: Ron DeSantis Breaks Silence on Rumored Trump Indictment:
Recent surveys show Trump growing in his support in recent weeks, prompting some DeSantis supporters reportedly begin to question the timing of a potential 2024 bid, wondering if the governor should wait until 2028 to avoid what could be an ugly face-off with his former ally.