TALLAHASSEE, Florida — It turns out that Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has his own art of the deal.
President Donald Trump last week gave a valuable endorsement to Uthmeier’s 2026 campaign to remain the Sunshine State’s AG. Uthmeier, who has never run for elected office before, got the job in February after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed his chief of staff and longtime ally to the vacant post.
Trump’s endorsement jolted Florida Republicans; only a month ago, state House Speaker Daniel Perez visited the White House with his leadership team as he was urged by some Trump allies to run against Uthmeier.
But Uthmeier’s role in helping create “Alligator Alcatraz” — the controversial immigration detention center in the Everglades — and his work with Eric Trump to help secure land for a Trump presidential library in Miami generated momentum for the endorsement, according to nearly a dozen GOP political consultants, lobbyists and operatives interviewed by POLITICO.
“Alligator Alcatraz put him on the radar of the president, but the library pushed him over the line,” said one veteran Florida GOP political operative granted anonymity to discuss the behind-the-scenes action.
The president’s endorsement lowers the possibility of a contentious Republican primary next year and lessens the chance of a full-blown Trump-DeSantis proxy war across the ballot.
The prospect of a proxy war has loomed large for state Republicans. DeSantis has opposed Rep. Byron Donalds, Trump’s pick for Florida governor. But Republicans who talked to POLITICO said Uthmeier’s endorsement was a result of his own efforts and did not involve DeSantis.
Kayla Little, a spokesperson for Uthmeier’s campaign, did not go into details about how he got the endorsement or when he learned about it. She said he has “long supported President Trump’s America First agenda” and “the two have long been aligned on the issues that matter most to Floridians, and he’s proud to have the president’s support.”
Still, getting Trump’s backing was not a sure thing given Uthmeier’s alliance with DeSantis and the enmity that some in the president’s circle have toward the governor.
Uthmeier, who worked on Trump’s first campaign, started working for DeSantis after a stint in the first Trump administration under then-Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. He became general counsel and then DeSantis’ chief of staff as the governor’s star in conservative GOP circles was rising.
The governor turned to Uthmeier to help out his floundering 2024 presidential campaign that ended shortly after Trump thumped DeSantis in the Iowa caucuses. It was Uthmeier’s role with that campaign that had some Florida GOP insiders doubtful that Trump would endorse him. Uthmeier took shots at Trump over his handling of Covid-19 and his position on abortion.
Ahead of the 2024 election, Uthmeier also led the effort for DeSantis to defeat two initiatives that would have legalized marijuana and guaranteed access to abortion. This effort has come under scrutiny — including by the Florida House and Perez — because money tied to a settlement with a Medicaid vendor wound up going to two nonprofit groups that soon after steered money to the campaign to defeat the pot measure.
Since becoming attorney general, Uthmeier took several steps to win over the president. POLITICO previously reported that Uthmeier had the backing of Steve Witkoff, Trump’s U.S. Middle East envoy.
Uthmeier played a pivotal role in the creation of “Alligator Alcatraz,” the detention center put up quickly by the state on land commandeered from Miami-Dade County. Trump visited the center in July, when he called out Uthmeier publicly and said, “The guy’s got a future.” Several lawsuits have been filed against the facility, which has come under sharp criticism from Democrats and immigration advocates.
Despite the warm praise from Trump, there was a request that Perez, who has clashed with DeSantis repeatedly this past year, consider mounting a challenge against Uthmeier. A White House official maintained this week that no one who works there encouraged him to run.
Trump, when asked in early September about Perez, said, “He’s a leader and he’s done just a fantastic job. We didn’t discuss anything having to do with his future. I’m sure he’d be very good at that.”
But Perez decided against challenging Uthmeier. The Miami Republican was “honored” to be encouraged to run, an operative close to Perez said, but it was not a job he was actively seeking.
“His endorsement sends a message that regardless of what some in his staff may want or suggest, President Trump is completely confident in James’ ability to be the best Florida AG,” one GOP operative said.
Uthmeier, however, gained a valuable ally in Eric Trump, the president’s son. Uthmeier worked with him and others seeking a site for a presidential library. Florida late last month signed off on a deal to hand over nearly three acres of valuable downtown Miami real estate to the foundation that will build the library. The property, located next to the iconic Freedom Tower, had been owned by Miami-Dade College but college officials agreed to turn it over to the state.
The deal had been put together largely off the radar since most attention had focused on other potential sites in South Florida for the library. In an interview earlier this month with POLITICO, Uthmeier did not go into great detail but acknowledged having discussions with the foundation and noted that he visited a “couple of the possible sites” under consideration. He said he also looked into the legal aspects of transferring the property over.
One person close to Uthmeier, who was also granted anonymity to talk candidly, said the endorsement should not be seen as a surprise since he began “pursuing the endorsement right after getting the job and went up to DC for meetings at the White House regarding the endorsement.”
One GOP operative said the end result is, “This shows there won’t be a Trump vs. DeSantis slate. Now it will be muddled.”
