Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis privately dined with Miriam Adelson — Trump's top financial backer in 2020 — and other major GOP donors in Jerusalem yesterday, Axios' Barak Ravid and Sophia Cai report.

Why it matters: DeSantis, considered Trump's top rival for the GOP nomination, is expected to announce his presidential exploratory committee in the coming weeks.

• Politico reported in October 2022 that Adelson, widow to the late billionaire Sheldon Adelson, told several possible Republican candidates that she plans to stay neutral in the 2024 primary.
• But the image of Adelson dining with DeSantis is likely to infuriate Trump, who has treated virtually any sign of Republican support for the Florida governor as a personal affront.

Driving the news: DeSantis arrived in Israel yesterday as part of a four-leg trip that could help the likely candidate boost his foreign policy credentials.

• The dinner was hosted by Larry Mizel, a Denver-based business executive and philanthropist who founded the museum. In 2016, Mizel was the finance chairman for the Trump campaign in Colorado.

Behind the scenes: DeSantis sat between Adelson and Mizel during the dinner in Jerusalem, which lasted for about two hours, according to sources in the room.

• Sheldon and Miriam Adelson were early backers of DeSantis when he ran for governor in 2018, contributing at least $500,000 to the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC.
• The Adelsons were also Trump's biggest donors. In the 2020 election, $90 million of the more than $200 million they contributed to Republican groups and candidates went to Trump's presidential campaign.
• Trump awarded Miriam Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018. Sheldon Adelson died in 2021.

Zoom in: DeSantis referred to Miriam Adelson as a "friend" in a speech he gave at the Museum of Tolerance today focused on the U.S.-Israel relationship.

• In another move sure to provoke Trump, DeSantis presented the former president's decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem as partly his own achievement — saying he worked to "cajole" the administration to make the move.
• DeSantis didn't mention Trump by name.

Between the lines: After early signs that GOP megadonors were preparing to ditch Trump for DeSantis in 2024, the competition for billionaire pocketbooks has busted wide open.

• Hedge fund executive Ken Griffin, who appeared to commit to backing DeSantis in November, has recently voiced concerns about the governor's positions on Ukraine and abortion, the New York Times reports.
• Trump megadonor John Catsimatidis has ruled out supporting DeSantis, complaining to the Washington Examiner that he "doesn't even return phone calls."
• Right-wing tech billionaire Peter Thiel does not plan to donate to any political candidates in 2024, Reuters reports.

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House Republicans are putting their money where their mouths are with a new ad attacking Democrats for voting against Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) debt ceiling bill, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.

Why it matters: The two parties are digging in on their negotiating positions and preparing for a protracted battle on how to avoid a debt default — as well as who is to blame if America fails to pay its bills.

• House Democrats are already running ads slamming the $130 billion in spending cuts that Republicans tied to a debt ceiling hike, arguing they will decimate critical programs related to health care, food assistance, veterans benefits and more.
• Now Republicans are racing to define their plans on their own terms — and create leverage out of what Democrats insist is a political liability.

Driving the news: The American Action Network, an issue advocacy nonprofit closely aligned with House Republicans, is launching a six-figure ad buy in the districts of 11 vulnerable House Democrats, including the five whose voters backed Trump in 2020.

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) privately blessed NRSC chair Steve Daines' (R-Mont.) surprise endorsement of Trump yesterday, the first by any member of Senate GOP leadership, the New York Times' Jonathan Swan and Carl Hulse report.

Why it matters: Trump has viciously attacked McConnell over the last two years, labeling him a "RINO" (Republican in Name Only) and insulting his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, with a racist nickname.

• The two have not spoken since McConnell condemned Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, but the GOP leader privately acknowledges the practical importance of having a working relationship with the party's leading presidential candidate.
• Daines, who is leading candidate recruitment as chair of Senate Republicans' campaign arm, is viewed as the obvious conduit as GOP leadership seeks to prevent Trump from again backing toxic candidates that could botch winnable elections.

Zoom in: West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice officially jumped in the Senate race today — a huge recruitment win for Daines and McConnell that puts Republicans in strong position to knock off Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

• Right-wing Rep. Alex Mooney (R-W.Va.) is also running, but his ties to the anti-tax Club for Growth — which Trump has all but declared war against — raise the likelihood that the former president will endorse Justice or stay neutral.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) doubled down on his call for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to resign today, after Senate Democrats were unable to block a GOP resolution overturning Biden administration rules on truck pollution.

Why it matters: Even some of Feinstein's allies are finding it harder to defend the 89-year-old senator as pressure mounts over her two-month medical absence, which has prevented Democrats from confirming judicial nominees without Republican votes.

• Former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) told MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan that Feinstein "either has to get back to Washington or really consider an early retirement. And as I have told her ... there really is life after the Senate."
• Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who has argued the calls for Feinstein's resignation are sexist, told the New Yorker's Isaac Chotiner when asked if Feinstein was mentally fit: "I think that she has some challenges, and she is not the only one in the Senate."

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol — who brought down the house at last night's state dinner with a surprise performance of "American Pie" — became the third world leader to address a joint meeting of Congress since Biden became president.

• The other two were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Israeli President Isaac Herzog.