- Some of Trump's potential rivals in 2024 flocked to support him after the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago.
- Among them was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely thought of as a strong challenger to Trump.
- A DeSantis representative told Insider in July that he remains "focused on Florida and running for reelection as governor this year."
Former President Donald Trump's likely rivals in 2024 are still standing by him after agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation searched Mar-a-Lago on Monday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, widely thought of to be one of Trump's key rivals in a 2024 GOP primary, tweeted his support for the former president around an hour after Trump's statement about the FBI search dropped on Truth Social.
"The raid of MAL is another escalation in the weaponization of federal agencies against the Regime's political opponents, while people like Hunter Biden get treated with kid gloves," DeSantis tweeted, adding that he thought the US was becoming a "banana republic." DeSantis was referencing an ongoing investigation into Hunter Biden's finances. Biden has not been charged with a crime and denies any wrongdoing.
Both DeSantis and Trump are viewed as frontrunners for the 2024 presidential ticket, though neither has formally declared their run. A DeSantis representative told Insider in July that the governor remains "focused on Florida and running for reelection as governor this year."
Meanwhile, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem — another potential 2024 contender — tweeted that she thought the FBI search was an "unprecedented political weaponization of the Justice Department."
"They've been after President Trump as a candidate, as President, and now as a former President. Using the criminal justice system in this manner is un-American," Noem tweeted.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio similarly posted a statement in support of Trump, tweeting: "Using government power to persecute political opponents is something we have seen many times from 3rd world Marxist dictatorships. But never before in America."
For his part, Trump said in a statement on Truth Social on Monday that his "beautiful home" had been "occupied by a large group of FBI agents," claiming "political persecution" and corruption. Trump added in his statement confirming the search that FBI agents had accessed his safe.
The FBI, however, was simply executing a search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, though it is unclear what investigation the warrant was related to, though three sources told CNN that it was related to documents that may have been improperly taken to Mar-a-Lago.
The National Archives asked the DOJ in February to probe if Trump broke the law by taking government records from the White House to Mar-a-Lago.