It was supposed to be treasury day at Mar-a-Lago, or so President-elect Donald Trump’s team thought.
As top aides last Thursday scurried about and continued the work of building out an administration from Trump’s West Palm Beach residence, there was at least some expectation that morning that the next major announcement would be a pick for treasury secretary.
Then everything changed.
“I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General,” now-former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz posted on social media. “Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.”
Gaetz withdrew as it became clear that sexual misconduct allegations and a related House Ethics Committee investigation were going to make nearly impossible for him to get confirmed as the nation’s top law enforcement official. He will not be returning to Congress.
Trump’s team didn’t flinch and quickly found another attorney general pick who had two traits held by both Gaetz and an increasing number of early administration staff and appointees: loyalty to Trump and strong Florida bona fides.
Just six hours after Gaetz withdrew his name, Trump announced he had picked former two-term Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a staunch Trump ally who helped him spread baseless claims the 2020 election was stolen.
Two Floridians separately tapped to serve in the important role of attorney general is a snapshot of how the early days of Trump’s second go-around in the White House will be heavily influenced by staff and political appointees from his adopted home state, as well as elevating some of the state’s most prominent lobbyists. It’s a direct reflection of how Florida’s role on the national political stage has been reoriented in recent election cycles.
Once the nation’s largest swing state, Florida is now stocked with Trump allies and a comfortable home turf for Republicans. It’s a state Trump won by more than 10 percentage points, up from his three-point win in 2020.
“Florida became a government in exile for Trump world,” said Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power, of Trump making Mar-a-Lago central to his post-White House political life. “Mix that with the conservative successes we have had in Florida, and the fact the state has a very deep Republican bench on the federal level, it’s no surprise it has become the epicenter.”
For Trump, Bondi’s pick was a no-brainer.
“It made sense from the first moment Gaetz withdrew,” said a Trump ally familiar with the process. “Trump has liked her going back to 2016, and I think they were always going to find a place for her in the administration. This just opened that door.”
“It happened so quickly because it made so much sense,” the person added.
Bondi’s swift selection was also an indication of how Trump views the role of attorney general, especially as he prepares a flurry of Day 1 executive actions, many of which are expected to face legal challenges.
“You need an Attorney General on Day 1 to be able to executive your plan,” a Trump official said. “That might not be the case for all Cabinet departments, but that is the case here.”
At least five Floridians have been tapped by Trump for prominent jobs, including including Gaetz and Bondi, Sen. Marco Rubio for Secretary of State, Florida Rep. Mike Walz for national security adviser, and former Florida Rep. Dave Weldon to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Florida has a huge talent pool, so none of this surprises me,” said Florida-based lobbyist Nick Iarossi, who raised money for Trump’s campaign and himself was announced as a managing director at Washington-based lobbying shop BGR Group after Trump won. “I am kind of surprised other states are not pushing back harder, but they just are not.”
“But that kind of makes sense to a degree,” Iarossi added of the state Trump won easily. “Trump is not trying to just reward states who helped him politically, but find people who are loyal to him and philosophically aligned. He’s trying to get things done.”
Some of Trump’s top White House aides are also Floridians. His chief of staff will be Susie Wiles, a longtime Florida operative who led Trump’s first two campaigns in that state, and James Blair, a longtime Wiles deputy, who was tapped to serve as assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs.
It’s the continuation of a Florida-flavored presidential campaign that was led by Wiles, featured Blair as its political director, Florida-based pollster Tony Fabrizio served as a top pollster and longtime Florida GOP operatives Brian Hughes, Danielle Alvarez and Alex Garcia in various senior level advisory roles.
The common thread through them all, for the most part, is Wiles. She has long been one of Trump’s top advisers, serving as his Florida campaign co-chair during his first two races, and co-chair of the national campaign during his 2024 run.
Much of the Florida influence, beyond the fact that Trump himself lives in the state and has personally gotten involved in its politics, was driven by her, as she hired trusted deputies and past associates to fill out the campaign, and now the early days of the administration.
“Susie brings with her a Florida approach without question,” said Brian Ballard, a Florida-based lobbyist and Trump fundraiser. “She is a national player, but clearly has major Florida roots and connections. The many people from Florida you see going to the administration, are in no small part because of her.”
Ballard’s firm, Ballard Partners, previously counted among its lobbyists both Wiles and Bondi, who joined the firm after she was term-limited out of her post as Florida attorney general.
In addition, after Trump’s election victory, Continental, a Miami-based lobbying firm led by Carols Trujillo, who served as ambassador to the Organization of American States during Trump’s first administration, opened its first Washington office. That office will be led by Katie Wiles, the daughter of the president’s new chief of staff.
“It’s not just those guys,” a longtime Florida lobbyist told NBC News. “You can see it in several areas, as more and more Florida heavyweights join Trump world, it’s going to have a positive impact on Florida lobbyists, even those who may not have a traditional DC footprint.”
“It’s the way of the world,” the person added.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
