The Florida effect: Trump's administration heavily shaped by the Sunshine State

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

62% : It's a state Trump won by more than 10 percentage points, up from his three-point win in 2020.
60% : Pam Bondi, Marco Rubio and Susie Wiles have all been tapped by Trump for top jobs in his administration.
57% : "Trump has liked her going back to 2016, and I think they were always going to find a place for her in the administration.
56% : Bondi's swift selection was also an indication of how Trump views the role of attorney general, especially as he prepares a flurry of Day 1 executive actions, many of which are expected to face legal challenges.
55% : Much of the Florida influence, beyond the fact that Trump himself lives in the state and has personally gotten involved in its politics, was driven by her, as she hired trusted deputies and past associates to fill out the campaign, and now the early days of the administration.
52% : "I am kind of surprised other states are not pushing back harder, but they just are not.""But that kind of makes sense to a degree," Iarossi added of the state Trump won easily.
51% : Trump's team didn't flinch and quickly found another attorney general pick who had two traits held by both Gaetz and an increasing number of early administration staff and appointees: loyalty to Trump and strong Florida bona fides.
45% : "Trump is not trying to just reward states who helped him politically, but find people who are loyal to him and philosophically aligned.
40% : "At least five Floridians have been tapped by Trump for prominent jobs, including including Gaetz and Bondi, Sen. Marco Rubio for Secretary of State, Florida Rep. Mike Walz for national security adviser, and former Florida Rep. Dave Weldon to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
38% : "Florida has a huge talent pool, so none of this surprises me," said Florida-based lobbyist Nick Iarossi, who raised money for Trump's campaign and himself was announced as a managing director at Washington-based lobbying shop BGR Group after Trump won.
34% : "For Trump, Bondi's pick was a no-brainer.
25% : "Florida became a government in exile for Trump world," said Republican Party of Florida Chairman Evan Power, of Trump making Mar-a-Lago central to his post-White House political life.
13% : Just six hours after Gaetz withdrew his name, Trump announced he had picked former two-term Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a staunch Trump ally who helped him spread baseless claims the 2020 election was stolen.

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