Sarasota GOP chairman Joe Gruters called Trump a "wise, skillful and respectful political leader," pointing to public polling last year that showed Trump narrowly trailing President Barack Obama in a hypothetical match-up.

"He's a proven conservative, and he's a champion of free enterprise," Gruters told The Huffington Post. "He's going to take difficult decisions, regardless of the political consequences, and that's why we decided to give it to him."