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While Trump will not be attending the Club for Growth event, other top Republican figures such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence will be.



Trump not getting invited to the Club for Growth event is the latest indicator that the influential, anti-tax conservative group is moving away from the former president, and is likely to back DeSantis for the GOP presidential candidacy in 2024, should he confirm his intention to run for president as expected.

There was already a rift between Club for Growth and Trump after the organization backed Republican candidates who were up against Trump's endorsements in several midterm GOP primary elections.



In November 2022, on the eve of Trump confirming he will be running for the president again in 2024, Club for Growth published a GOP primary poll which showed Trump trailing DeSantis by double digits in one-on-one matchups in Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida and Georgia.

In February 2023, the group issued another poll that showed that DeSantis leads Trump by nine points in a hypothetical match-up.

After releasing the poll, Club for Growth President David McIntosh said that his group had invited several confirmed and expected GOP primary candidates to their March event, but not Trump.

"What the club believes the Republican Party should do is make sure whoever we nominate will actually win," McIntosh told The Hill."The party should be open to looking at a different candidate. DeSantis is in the strongest position."