Politics

(WASHINGTON) — The DeSantis campaign continues to shed staff, with more than a third of its original payroll now laid off, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

The latest round of cuts were first reported by Politico and confirmed to ABC News by three people familiar, with one source telling ABC News that low- and mid-level staff are the ones being impacted.

The 38 individuals laid off by the campaign include the roughly dozen layoffs announced earlier this month, a round of cuts that saw the departures of the campaign’s media director, Dave Abrams, and Tucker Obenshain, who led external affairs.

As ABC News has previously reported, the DeSantis campaign evaluated it burned through cash too quickly and hired too many people early in the campaign, with FEC documents indicating that 92 staffers worked for the campaign during its first fundraising period. The campaign also spent some $8 million in the first six weeks of the governor’s presidential run, per the documents.

The change in staffing in the DeSantis campaign occurs as the team tries to chart a new path forward for the governor.

“Following a top-to-bottom review of our organization, we have taken additional, aggressive steps to streamline operations and put Ron DeSantis in the strongest position to win this primary and defeat Joe Biden,” DeSantis’ campaign manager, Generra Peck, said in a statement. “Governor DeSantis is going to lead the Great American Comeback, and we’re ready to hit the ground running as we head into an important month of the campaign.”

In addition to campaign staff being cut, movement is occurring within the DeSantis camp as current staffers take on new roles and leadership positions.

Recently, Ethan Eilon was elevated from his position as digital director to deputy campaign manager. Eilon’s new role, first reported by Bloomberg News, comes as some people close to the campaign blame Peck for the campaign’s current struggles.

Meanwhile, Cody Hall, a top adviser to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, has been brought on as a senior communications adviser and campaign spokesman Andrew Romeo has been moved to communications director, sources tell ABC News.

When asked by ABC News at a press conference last week whether he over-hired, the governor defended his large payroll by saying his campaign does not rely on outside consultants.

“We do everything in house, so yes, some people would not have some of the people we have, but they would also be paying a lot more money for the consultants, who charge a lot,” he said at the press conference, held in Salt Lake City.

“So it’s just a different model of doing more in-house than doing consultants. … You can raise money online, which we’ve done very well at. Do you want to give 10% of the cut to somebody when you’re doing that? No, we’d rather pay salaries for people to perform a function and do it,” he said.

In response to news that DeSantis’ campaign laid off more than a third of its original payroll, an aide to former President Donald Trump told ABC News that the former president will be “staffing up” — notably adding the Trump campaign would potentially be open to hiring some of DeSantis’ laid off staffers.

“President Trump will be staffing up as he moves toward the Republican nomination, and we would never rule out the possibility of some of these folks joining our team.”

ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa and Soo Rin Kim contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley and Chris Christie all appear to have met the qualifications to attend the first GOP primary debate next month in Milwaukee, after having reached the polling thresholds set by the Republican National Committee and — the candidates say — the fundraising requirements, too.

Missing from that list, so far, is former Vice President Mike Pence, though Pence insists he will have enough donors to make the debate and has already drawn enough support in early polls.

The RNC announced criteria in June that the candidates must meet on polling, fundraising, status and pledging in order to earn a spot on stage on Aug. 23.

Candidates have until 48 hours before the debate to qualify, per the RNC.

The party has not yet publicly confirmed which candidates have qualified, though officials have said which polls are eligible to qualify candidates. Donor numbers so far are based on campaign statements alone.

On Tuesday, a weekly Morning Consult poll of the 2024 GOP field — which is confirmed to meet all of the standards to qualify candidates for the debate — pushed the six hopefuls across the finish line as each of them has now received at least 1% in three national polls or 1% in two national polls and one early state poll from two separate “carve out” states recognized by the party: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada or South Carolina.

What remains uncertain is who all will participate in the debate, set to be aired by Fox News.

With more than half of the major Republican candidates, including Pence and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, still working to qualify, front-runner Donald Trump has repeatedly signaled he will not attend his party’s first debate, saying as recently as last week, on Newsmax: “If you’re leading by a lot, what’s the purpose of doing it?”

“Why would I want to debate as opposed to doing something else that night? Why would I want to debate when you have people at zero and 1% asking me hostile questions?” Trump said then.

The first survey that satisfied all the criteria for Republican presidential candidates to make the debate was a Morning Consult poll from July 11. Another Morning Consult poll from July 18 and an early state poll out of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) on July 18 were additional qualifying surveys, according to the RNC.

A few additional polls, including Fox Business surveys of Iowa and South Carolina voters published on Sunday, have been floated as potentially qualifying but have not been confirmed by the party.

Trump, DeSantis, Ramaswamy, Pence, Haley, Scott and Christie qualified for all three Morning Consult national polls and the UNH survey of New Hampshire Republicans.

According to those surveys, Pence has met the polling criteria but has said his campaign is still shy of the donor criteria to qualify for the debate.

Candidates must have met a minimum of 40,000 unique donors to meet the RNC’s requirements, with at least 200 unique donors per state.

“We haven’t yet gotten to 40,000 individual donors. We’re working literally around the clock for that,” Pence said in a radio interview on Monday. He previously told ABC New’s MaryAlice Parks: “We’ll make the debate stage.”

Scott’s campaign has said they have 75,000 donations from more than 53,000 unique donors across all 50 states.

Haley’s campaign has said they have “nearly 160,000 donations from all 50 states,” adding, “We are well above the RNC threshold of 40,000 unique donations.”

Christie has also said he’s reached the donor threshold, telling CNN’s Anderson Cooper earlier in July: “We went past 40,000 unique donors in just 35 days. There’s a donor in every state in America, and we have over 200 donors in 36 states. So there’s really broad support for the candidacy. We’re really thrilled about it.”

Ramaswamy said on Saturday that he had met the Republican Party’s donor requirements and polling thresholds, citing the two approved Morning Consult polls and two additional national polls that have not been confirmed for approval by the party.

After the Morning Consult poll published on Tuesday, however, the commentator and tech entrepreneur is confirmed to have met the criteria. He said in early July that his campaign had met the donor benchmark.

“Most of our contributions externally have been small dollar contributions, 65,000-plus small dollars,” Ramaswamy said to a group of reporters at Turning Point Action’s conference earlier this month. “Think about that — 40,000 was for the RNC debate threshold in late August, which many candidates actually have complained was set too high. Even, you know, former vice presidents and congressmen and senators have had trouble reaching that.”

Candidates like Pence, Hutchinson, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and former Texas Rep. Will Hurd have been pushing — sometimes through unusual quid-pro-quo strategies — to garner enough support via individual donors in order to make the stage.

Burgum said on Tuesday that he had qualified for the debate stage, claiming to have met both the polling and donor qualifications.

His campaign cited Tuesday’s Morning Consult poll — the first of the three published in which he had polled at least at 1% — and his polling in the UNH survey of New Hampshire. His campaign also claimed to have polled at or above 1% in the Fox Business poll out of Iowa and a JMC Analytics poll, both of which have not been confirmed as qualifying by the RNC.

Burgum’s campaign announced last week he had achieved the donor benchmark to be on stage at the debate, which comes after his recently announced pledge to provide $20 gift cards to 50,000 people who donate at least $1 to his campaign.

The final requirement for a candidate to get on the debate stage would be to take a loyalty pledge presented by the RNC that would require each hopeful to commit to supporting the party’s eventual nominee.

Ramaswamy, Haley and Scott have said they would sign the pledge.

DeSantis said he intends to support the nominee.

Trump’s largest detractor of the group, Christie, has indicated that he would sign the pledge but take it “just as seriously as Donald Trump took it in 2016,” seemingly signaling that he would disregard the pledge if it came down to the former president as the nominee.

ABC News’ Libby Cathey and Kelsey Walsh contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — Another Biden pup is in the doghouse.

The White House and Secret Service are responding to a report of first dog Commander Biden biting several people, including Secret Service agents, at the president’s various residences.

U.S. Secret Service emails obtained by Judicial Watch via a Freedom of Information Act request describe 10 incidents of the German Shepherd biting people in a four-month period — including one incident that resulted in the victim, a Secret Service agent, being transported to a hospital after getting treatment from White House medical personnel, according to the emails.

During one incident reported to have occurred in October, an unnamed U.S. Secret Service personnel warned that Commander was acting aggressive as of late, according to the emails published Tuesday.

“Recently, Commander has been exhibiting extremely aggressive behavior,” the email written on Oct. 26 said, according to what Judicial Watch published. “Today; while posted, he came charging at me. The First Lady couldn’t regain control of commander and he continued to circle me. I believe it’s only a matter of time before an agent/officer is attacked or bit. He would have bit me today if l didn’t step towards him a couple different times. It was bad enough that the agent on the detail asked if l got bit- just so you’re aware.”

In some cases, Commander allegedly bit agents that were wearing layers of clothes so the attacks didn’t leave any marks, according to the e-mails.

In another instance in November, Commander bit a Uniformed Division officer twice, sending the officer to the hospital, according to the e-mails.

Another e-mail a day later goes into more detail.

“OFFICER [REDACTED] ADVISED THAT ‘COMMANDER’ CAME DOWN THE STAIRS AND WALKED TOWARD,[REDACTED] OFFICER [REDACTED] ADVISED [REDACTED] WAS SITTING WITH [REDACTED] ARMS CRASSED AND COMMANDER BITE [REDACTED] ARM (TRICEP AREA),” the email says. “THEN WHEN [REDACTED] STOOD U OMMANDER BITE [REDACTED] IN THE LEG (QUAD AREA). OFFICER [REDACTED] STATED THAT THE USHER DID NOT COMNTROL THE DOG AND WAS TELLING OFFICER [REDACTED] TO NOT BACK UP. OFFICER [REDACTED] ADVISED THAT COMMANDER CAME AFTER [REDACTED] AGAIN AND [REDACTED] HAD TO US A STEEL CART TO SHEILD [REDACTED] SELF FROM ANOTHER ATTACK. OFFICER [REDACTED] ADVISED [REDACTED] WAS IN A CONSIDERAL AMOUNT OF PAIN.”

“My leg and arm still hurts,” the unnamed officer who was reportedly bitten wrote in an email to a colleague. “He bit me twice and ran at me twice.”

Neither the White House nor the Secret Service addressed the specifics of the report in their statements but seemingly confirmed the bad behavior by Commander. The communications director for first lady Jill Biden, Elizabeth Alexander, said the first family is working on “ways to make this situation better for everyone.”

“The White House complex is a unique and often stressful environment for family pets, and the First Family is working through ways to make this situation better for everyone. They have been partnering with the Secret Service and Executive Residence staff on additional leashing protocols and training, as well as establishing designated areas for Commander to run and exercise,” Elizabeth Alexander said in a statement to ABC News.

The U.S. Secret Service also responded to the report.

“For the past several Presidential administrations, the Secret Services has navigated how to best operate around family pets and these incidents are no exception. We take the safety and wellbeing of our employees extremely seriously. Agency employees are encouraged to report any job-related injuries to their immediate supervisors for appropriate documentation,” Anthony Guglielmi, US Secret Service Chief of Communications, said in a statement.

“As such, we are aware of past incidents involving first-family pets and these instances were treated similarly to comparable workplace injuries, to include with relevant notifications and reporting procedures followed. While special agents and officers neither care for nor handle the first family’s pets, we continuously work with all applicable entities to minimize adverse impacts in an environment that includes pets,” he said.

Alexander said in her statement that “the President and First Lady are incredibly grateful to the Secret Service and Executive Residence staff for all they do to keep them, their family, and the country safe.”

The New York Post was the first to report on Commander’s biting incidents.

The behavior appears to mirror that of the Bidens’ previous dog, Major, who left the White House in December of 2021 to live with family friends after similar reports of biting.

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(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has begun floating the possibility of an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, a sudden escalation as Republicans ramp up allegations of wrongdoing by the president and his family.

During an appearance on Fox News Monday night, McCarthy leaned on testimony from two Internal Revenue Service whistleblowers and an FBI document containing unverified allegations of corruption to suggest that Biden has used his career in government to enrich and protect his family — a claim for which Republicans have provided no definitive evidence and the White House vociferously denies.

“When President Biden was running for office, he told the American public that he’s never talked about business, he said his family has never received a dollar from China, which we now proved is not true. We now have some of the most credible whistleblowers, these 10-year IRS agents who have come forward, said the Biden family has been treated differently,” McCarthy told Fox News host Sean Hannity.

“We’ve only followed where the information has taken us. But Hannity, this is rising to the level of impeachment inquiry, which provides Congress the strongest power to get the rest of the knowledge and information needed. Because this president has also used something we have not seen since Richard Nixon, used the weaponization of government to benefit his family and deny Congress the ability to have the oversight.”

The White House fired back Monday night, accusing congressional Republicans of elevating partisan probes over important policy debates.

“Instead of focusing on the real issues Americans want us to address like continuing to lower inflation or create jobs, this is what the @HouseGOP wants to prioritize,” tweeted White House spokesperson Ian Sams. “Their eagerness to go after @POTUS regardless of the truth is seemingly bottomless.”

When pressed on his remarks by reporters Tuesday, McCarthy doubled down.

“When more of this continues to unravel, it rises to the level of impeachment inquiry, where you would have the Congress to have the power to get to all these answers,” he said.

McCarthy’s comments mark a crescendo of a drumbeat of Republican scrutiny into the White House.

The escalation comes shortly after Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., published the FBI document that included unverified allegations of corruption surrounding the work of Biden’s son Hunter Biden in Ukraine for energy company Burisma.

Republicans have also accused Biden of working with Hunter in his business dealings, despite repeated White House rebuttals.

Congressional Republicans are also launching ceaseless allegations that Democrats are “weaponizing” the government by launching investigations into former President Donald Trump over his handling of classified information after leaving office and efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.

Jack Smith is leading those probes as special counsel, a position designed to maximize his independence from the Justice Department.

Still, McCarthy’s comments are easily the furthest he’s gone after Biden.

The speaker has been the focus of a pressure campaign from lawmakers such as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., who have been seeking Biden’s ouster since he took office. However, until Monday, McCarthy was urging his right-flank to hold off.

“I don’t know that we need any more now that we’ve had them referred already. We’re already having investigations,” McCarthy said last month.

The speaker has so far sated his conference by voicing support for possible impeachment inquiries into other administration figures, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, though his comments Monday indicated another concession to the firebrands could be coming.

“I believe we will follow this all the way to the end, and this is going to rise to an impeachment inquiry the way the constitution tells us to do this, and we have to get the answers to these questions,” he told Hannity.

While an impeachment effort would mark a win for some of the House’s hardliners, it would likely face opposition from GOP moderates — especially the 18 Republicans who represent districts Biden won in 2020 and are up for reelection last year.

“Impeachment shouldn’t be something that is frivolous and treated in that way,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., one of those 18 Republicans, told reporters last month as GOP lawmakers discussed a privileged resolution to impeach Biden.

ABC News’ Arthur Jones II and Lauren Peller contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden signed a proclamation Tuesday to establish the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument. Till, the Black 14-year-old who was lynched in 1955 after he was accused of whistling at a white woman in Mississippi, became a symbol of the Civil Rights Movement.

His murder highlighted the racism and brutality faced by Black people throughout the U.S.

“It’s hard to believe I was 12 years old and I just, you know, I know no matter how much time has passed, how many birthdays, how many events, how many anniversaries — It’s hard to relive this,” Biden said.

“Today on what would’ve been Emmett’s 82nd birthday, we add another chapter in the story of remembrance and healing,” Biden added.

Biden was introduced by Till’s best friend and younger cousin, Rev. Wheeler Parker, Jr.

Parker was 16 when Till was lynched and is the last surviving witness to his abduction, according to the White House.

“When I was overwhelmed with terror and fear of death … I could never imagined the moment like this,” said Parker.

Parker was among other members of Till’s family as well as civil rights leaders, historic preservation advocates, and more in attendance at the proclamation signing.

This monument will also honor Till’s mother Mamie Till-Mobley, a renowned civil rights advocate. Till was laid to rest in an open casket at his funeral by his mother to demonstrate the horrors of his brutal murder in order to push forward the movement for equal rights for Black Americans.

“The new monument will protect places that tell the story of Emmett Till’s too-short life and racially-motivated murder, the unjust acquittal of his murderers, and the activism of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, who courageously brought the world’s attention to the brutal injustices and racism of the time, catalyzing the civil rights movement,” according to a White House official.

The monument will be composed of several sites related to Till’s life and murder, including the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago where Till’s funeral service was held.

Graball Landing in Mississippi, where it is believed that Till’s body was recovered from the Tallahatchie River, will be the second location.

The Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse in Mississippi, where Till’s killers were acquitted by an all-white jury, will be the third.

“The designation reflects the Biden-Harris administration’s work to advance civil rights and commitment to protecting places that help tell a more complete story of our nation’s history,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday.

“As we talk about the civil rights movement, as we talked about Emmett Till’s story, this is American history, and it is the broader story of American — of Black oppression, their survival, and the bravery in America,” she said. “All of that is connected.”

In March 2022, Biden signed the Emmett Till Anti-lynching Act into law, making lynching a hate crime under federal law. Lynchings were used to terrorize the Black community in the U.S., predominantly in the South, from the 1880s to 1960s.

Biden’s most recent move comes amid legislative changes and restrictions on education and programs in schools related to race in conservative-led states across the country.

For example, Florida recently changed educational guidelines on Black history amid the enforcement of the “Stop WOKE Act,” which places restrictions on lessons or training on race in schools and the workplace.

One change made to state education standards encourages curriculum to include “how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”

At the Tuesday proclamation, Vice President Kamala Harris slammed such efforts.

“We must remember, and teach our full history, even when it is painful. Especially, when it is painful,” Harris said. “Today there are those in our nation’s would refer to erase or even rewrite the ugly parts of our past.”

Supporters of such educational restrictions say the legislation bars lessons that may make students feel “shame” or “guilt” based on race. Critics say the legislation could infringes upon the ability to teach nuanced lessons on racial history.

“We should know everything — the good, the bad, the truth, who we are as a nation. That’s what great nations do. And we are a great nation,” Biden said. “For only with truth comes healing, Justice, repair, and another step forward toward forming a more perfect union.”

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(WASHINGTON) — The grand jury that has been hearing evidence about former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election has reconvened.

Grand jurors were seen by ABC News arriving at the courthouse in Washington, D.C., Tuesday morning.

The grand jury has been meeting Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Special counsel Jack Smith informed Trump by letter on July 16 that Trump is a target in his investigation.

The letter indicates that an indictment of the former president could be imminent.

Smith was appointed in November by Attorney General Merrick Garland to oversee the investigation into efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election, as well as Trump’s handling of classified documents after leaving the presidency.

Trump has denied all wrongdoing and has dismissed the probe as a political witch hunt.

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(WASHINGTON) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was in a car crash on Tuesday morning in Tennessee on the way to an event, his campaign said.

He and his team were uninjured, according to spokesman Bryan Griffin.

“We appreciate the prayers and well wishes of the nation for his continued protection while on the campaign trail,” Griffin said in a statement.

Further details of the wreck were not immediately available.

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(WASHINGTON) — Second gentleman Doug Emhoff became the highest-profile U.S. official to visit Samoa Monday, looking to underscore the Biden administration’s commitment to Pacific island nations in an effort to curb China’s influence in the region.

“President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to our partnership with Samoa. Our relationship has never been stronger. And we will strengthen it further. We are neighbors and friends,” Emhoff said, according to a transcript of remarks released by the White House.

“We have shared goals: tackling the climate crisis, investing in economic development and empowering women. And we have long standing people-to-people ties. I am here to help strengthen these ties,” he said.

The historic trip to Samoa came on the heels of Emhoff’s visit to New Zealand, where he led the Presidential Delegation for the Opening Ceremony of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, currently underway.

During the visit, Emhoff participated in a meeting with the leadership and entrepreneurs of Women in Business Development, Inc. to learn about its programs and products, the White House said.

Emhoff also met with Acting Prime Minister of Samoa Tuala Tevaga Iosefo Ponifasio. The pair discussed climate change and the need for resilience, as well as the importance of empowering women.

“The second gentleman reiterated the United States’ commitment to continue to expand engagement with the region and grow the U.S.-Samoan partnership,” the White House said of the meeting.

Since taking office, the Biden administration has sought to enhance engagement in the Indo-Pacific region as part of the strategy to counter China’s growing military and economic influence.

During the visit, the Biden administration announced it will provide $2.6 million from USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance to increase disaster risk reduction in Pacific region countries including Samoa.

That announcement builds on other earlier ones from the administration, such as returning the Peace Corps to Samoa after it was evacuated worldwide in early 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

For the first time in 52 years, The White House has also committed to placing an ambassador in the country.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice on Monday sued the state of Texas and Gov. Greg Abbott over the installation of a barrier of buoys in the Rio Grande River intended to keep migrants from crossing into the U.S.

The DOJ based its lawsuit on allegations that in building the buoy barrier, Texas violated the Rivers and Harbors Act by obstructing navigable waters of the U.S.

Texas officials began constructing the barrier near the Camino Real International Bridge in Eagle Pass earlier this month, finishing last week, according to the DOJ lawsuit.

Federal officials are asking a judge to order that Texas remove the existing buoys at their own expense and also that they be enjoined from constructing any further barriers in other waters near the U.S.-Mexico border.

Abbott and the state of Texas allegedly did not seek authorization from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prior to installing the buoys, as required under law, and that because of that, “the Corps and other relevant federal agencies were deprived of the opportunity to evaluate risks the barrier poses to public safety and the environment, mitigate those risks as necessary through the permitting process, and otherwise evaluate whether the project is in the public interest,” the DOJ lawsuit alleges.

The buoys are part of Operation Lone Star, Abbott’s major border policy.

“This floating barrier poses threats to navigation and public safety and presents humanitarian concerns. Additionally, the presence of the floating barrier has prompted diplomatic protests by Mexico and risks damaging U.S. foreign policy,” Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said in a statement on Monday.

A judge from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas had not yet been assigned to the case as of Monday afternoon.

It was not immediately clear how soon until Texas has to answer the allegations in court. Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a letter on Friday, the DOJ had warned the governor that Texas’ “actions violate federal law, raise humanitarian concerns, present serious risks to public safety and the environment, and may interfere with the federal government’s ability to carry out its official duties.”

On Monday, Abbott responded with a letter to President Joe Biden remaining defiant — and indicating his state’s defense will hinge on what he describes as Texas’ “sovereign authority” to protect its borders.

“Texas will see you in court, Mr. President,” Abbott wrote, hours before the DOJ announced its suit.

Abbott, a Republican, has long assailed what he calls the failure of the Biden administration’s border and immigration policies. He’s also been busing migrants out of Texas to Democratic-led states and cities — a move that has stoked outcry from advocates.

On Friday, the governor said in a statement that his administration, along with Texas’ Department of Public Safety and the Texas National Guard, are “continuing to work together to secure the border; stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons, and people into Texas; and prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal behavior between ports of entry,” citing statistics on hundreds of thousands of apprehensions and criminal arrests made under Operation Lone Star.

Responding to the DOJ lawsuit on Monday, White House spokesman Abdullah Hasan, said, in part: “Governor Abbott’s dangerous and unlawful actions are undermining that effective plan, making it hard for the men and women of Border Patrol to do their jobs of securing the border, and putting migrants and border agents in danger.”

ABC News’ Luke Barr, Armando Garcia and Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.

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(PARK CITY, Utah) — Over the weekend, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a two-day retreat in Park City, Utah, where, sources said, senior campaign staffers briefed top donors on the state of his campaign as he looks to reset his run for the Republican presidential nomination.

There was an open discussion between donors and senior aides addressing concerns about the governor’s White House bid so far, sources familiar with the event told ABC News.

The donor retreat was scheduled before the release of the campaign’s second-quarter FEC filing in mid-July, which showed expenditures of some $8 million during the first six weeks of DeSantis’ campaign. That spending rate led the DeSantis camp to cut roughly a dozen staffers, with more shakeups expected, sources have said.

People who attended the retreat appeared to leave “feeling more positive than before about the campaign,” said Chad Wilbanks, a former executive director of the Texas Republican Party who supports DeSantis and was there.

Wilbanks told ABC News that some donors had questions about “fundraising expenses” after reading media reports about the burned cash, but he said “they were addressed” and brushed off suggestions the campaign overspent in the previous quarter.

He said senior aides expressed a fundraising goal he described as “very, very large.” Wilbanks wouldn’t share the number but insisted it was “very doable based on what he’s been able to raise so far.”

At the same time, Wilbanks said, “There was talk of having a little bit more of a leaner operation.”

ABC News previously reported that the DeSantis campaign evaluated it burned through cash too quickly and hired too many people early in the campaign, with FEC documents listing more than 90 staffers.

More broadly, DeSantis has apparently changed some of his strategy, such as how he engages with the news media.

His campaign had believed the governor could continue shunning mainstream outlets and stick to more friendly platforms like Fox News and other conservative news media. Recently, however, sources have said the governor’s team has leaned toward having DeSantis do some mainstream network interviews and town halls.

Last week, DeSantis taped a sit-down with CNN’s Jake Tapper, marking his first one-on-one mainstream news interview since he began his presidential campaign in May.

He has also participated in town hall-style events, like during a stop last week in Tega Cay, South Carolina, where he took questions from audience members.

In a statement on Monday, DeSantis spokesman Andrew Romeo said, in part: “No matter how much the media and D.C. elites try to destroy Ron DeSantis, they can’t change the fact that this is a two-man race for the nomination. Ron DeSantis is ready to prove the doubters wrong yet again and our campaign is prepared to execute on his vision for the Great American Comeback as we transition into the next phase of winning this primary and beating Joe Biden.”

DeSantis, who cruised to reelection as Florida governor last fall, has long been seen as former President Donald Trump’s biggest challenge for the Republican nomination. But in the roughly two months since launching his campaign, DeSantis has seen little movement in national polls, according to FiveThirtyEight.

He currently trails Trump by more than 30 points in early surveys of the primary, though he is the No. 2 most-popular candidate.

“This is going to be a state-by-state contest,” DeSantis said earlier this month. “We’ve worked really hard to build the type of organization in places like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina that you need to actually be able to win these early [nominating] contests. And we’re gonna continue doing that. We got a lot of work, but we’ve had a very, very favorable response.”

“This is not something that, you know, I ever expected to just snap fingers and all of a sudden, you know, you win seven months before [anything] happens,” DeSantis said on Fox News in early July.

According to a recent Fox News South Carolina poll, likely Republican primary voters backed Trump by 48%. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley came next at 14%, with DeSantis at 13% and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott at 10%.

DeSantis’ focus on culture war issues, a hallmark of his governing style in Florida, where he is popular, has ignited controversies on the national stage.

His Utah donor retreat was held on the heels of Florida enacting new Black history standards that include a section of “benchmark clarifications,” including one, for grades six-eight, that states “instruction includes how slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” The standards were changed after the Florida Legislature passed DeSantis’ “Stop-WOKE” law.

During a press conference on Friday in Salt Lake City, DeSantis appeared to distance himself from those education guidelines.

“I wasn’t involved in it,” he maintained. “But I think what they’re doing is, I think that they’re probably going to show some of the folks that eventually parlayed being a blacksmith into doing things later in life.”

“All of that is rooted in whatever is factual,” DeSantis said then. “These were scholars that put that together. It was not anything that was done politically.”

The standards have fueled criticism both from some Republicans, like DeSantis’ primary opponent Chris Christie, and from the Biden administration.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday denounced them as “push[ing] propaganda to our children.”

DeSantis later called that “absolutely ridiculous, totally outrageous.”

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