Steve Cortes, a key aide and spokesman for the pro-Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) Never Back Down super PAC, exited the group, according to a statement released Tuesday.
“Steve launched his own show and left his role as a spokesman for Never Back Down. He will continue to support Governor DeSantis in his personal capacity,” spokeswoman Erin Perrine announced.
Cortes publicly acknowledged the DeSantis campaign faced an “uphill battle” against former President Donald Trump’s commanding lead during a Twitter Space in July.
“Right now in national polling we are way behind, I’ll be the first to admit that,” said Cortes, who worked on Trump’s past campaigns.
In this July 31, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump shakes hands with Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis during a rally in Tampa, FL. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File)
Cortes also described Trump’s primary victory as “inevitable” during a radio show interview last month.
“It is a rematch that nobody wants yet it seems at this moment to be inevitable,” Cortes said of a potential general election featuring Trump and President Joe Biden.
The New York Times’s Maggie Haberman reported that Cortes’s “high praise of Trump in some public appearances had caught attention among Republicans.”
Cortes didn’t respond to a message asking about his status after his Twitter/X bio dropped the Never Back Down affiliation. But his high praise of Trump in some public appearances had caught attention among Republicans.
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) October 10, 2023
Cortes’s departure from the DeSantis campaign comes as the Florida governor trails Trump by 49 points, recent surveys have shown. The campaign is also strapped for cash, as just $5 million out of the $13.5 million in cash on hand it holds is eligible for use in the GOP primary, according to the Times.
Trump predicted DeSantis would drop out of the race soon, comparing DeSantis to “a wounded bird falling from the sky.”
“He has proven to be a terrible and inept candidate who even fought Social Security and MediCare,” Trump posted online.
“He will SOON be out of money and dropping out of the race for President. After having single handidly gotten him elected Governor, with no thanks or glory, it has been a beautiful thing to watch,” Trump added. “Good luck Ron!”
Jordan Dixon-Hamilton is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at
