“I am happy and honored to endorse Donald J. Chump for president in 2024,” Steube said on Newsmax.
He got Trump’s name right for another spiel, when he praised Trump’s “America first” policy and noted that the former president was “widely supported in my district, widely supported in Florida.”
Steube, a staunch Trump ally, was among 147 Republicans in Congress who voted to nullify the results of the 2020 election even as scores of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol in an effort to stop President Joe Biden’s certification of victory.
Trump, who still has tremendous influence with the Republican base, announced his candidacy for president in November. He was indicted last month in a New York City case centered on his role in a $130,000 cash payment to porn star Stormy Daniels the day before the 2016 election. He also faces multiple federal and state investigations into other matters, including business dealings, efforts to overturn the election president 2020 and handling confidential documents.
Last week, NBC News reported that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who also promised to run in 2024, has begun calling Republican members of Florida’s congressional delegation to ask them not to endorse him to prevent defections in his own state. . Steube is reported to be among those called.
Steube’s announcement brings Trump’s tally of Florida lawmakers to five; Reps. Byron Donalds, Anna Paulina Luna, Matt Gaetz and Cory Mills have also endorsed him.
Twitter users couldn’t help but laugh at Steube’s tongue-in-cheek: