Both DeSantis and Trump have tried to silence chatter of a rivalry between the two, and DeSantis has fundraised recently with pitches that include pictures of him with Trump. But in recent months, donors, operatives and activists have begun expressing interest in DeSantis as a possible candidate. In conversations with more than 50 people at the national and state level, DeSantis’s name comes up more often than any other potential candidate besides Trump…

DeSantis struggles to make small talk with donors and others, sometimes not even making eye contact at house parties, according to people who have met with him. One person who has worked closely with him in Florida described the Harvard-educated attorney as “incredibly aloof” while a donor who met him recently called him “painfully awkward,” speaking on the condition of anonymity to describe a private interaction.

DeSantis is “about as un-charming as it gets one-on-one,” said another person who has interacted with him, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about the Florida governor. “There’s a lot of hand talk. No ability or seeming desire to relate. It’s difficult to have a conversation with him. He gives you kind of these dead stares. But when he’s on stage, it’s a totally different story.”