DeSantis may snub Big Tech's inaugural donations, strategists say

The governor of Florida, who is considering a 2024 presidential bid, has often railed against tech companies. But if refusing their money would encourage conservative activists, it's unclear how much is at stake.

Gov. Florida's Ron DeSantis is considering turning down donations from big tech companies for his second inauguration next month, according to two Republican strategists involved in the talks, in a bid to energize conservative activists keen to take on Silicon Valley. p>

Mr. DeSantis, who is eyeing a potential challenge to Donald J. Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, has often accused companies like Apple and Google of going too far and limiting free speech in their efforts to slow the spread misinformation and conspiracy theories.

While turning down tech donations would be cheered on the right, it's unclear how much money Mr. DeSantis would leave on the table . Silicon Valley has not been a major contributor to his two gubernatorial campaigns or his previous three House campaigns, according to campaign finance reports.

Donations raised by Mr. DeSantis's inaugural team will be made to the Republican Party of Florida. For his first inauguration, Mr DeSantis released a partial list of donors – including Disney, the GEO Group's private prison company and the Police Benevolent Association – but did not say how many had been given. This contrasts with his predecessor, Senator Rick Scott, who raised about $6.4 million for his inauguration as governor in 2011 and listed those donations on his website, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

A spokesperson for Mr. DeSantis declined to comment. The two strategists familiar with the proposed move, who insisted on anonymity to discuss private deliberations, said Mr. DeSantis had not yet made a final decision on donations.

The Governor of Florida has long pledged to crack down on Silicon Valley, including after the Capitol Riot on January 6, 2021, when many major platforms banned accounts, including this one. of Mr. Trump, who have perpetuated misinformation and conspiracy theories. A month after the riot, Mr. DeSantis said he would seek new legislation to prevent social media companies from censoring political candidates, and he and Republicans in the state passed such legislation. p>

But a federal appeals court panel unanimously rejected the law. Judge Kevin C. Newsom, appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit by Mr. Trump, wrote that the Florida law would effectively limit First Amendment protections.

"With few exceptions, the government cannot tell any person or private entity what to say or how to say it," Judge Newsom wrote.

Withholding tech company donations at the inauguration would help regild the governor's genuine anti-elite while providing a contrast to Mr. Trump, who announced his presidential campaign last month.

While Mr. Trump has openly criticized companies, including General Motors and Amazon, he has welcomed financial support from all comers. His campaign is planning its first major fundraising round next month, a series of high-value, private events intended to help offset a drop in online donations in the final months of this year.

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Mr. Trump has been primarily inoculated with criticism about taking money from special interests in recent years due, in part, to the personal fortune he built before running for office. But while the former president has always said he can afford to pay for his own campaigns, he has mostly relied on fundraising.

Mr. DeSantis, for his part, has forged close relationships with Republican donors since he first ran for Congress in 2012. In 2016, after another Congress...