In April, Trump had told Fox News that DeSantis would “certainly” be under consideration for the VP slot if he were to launch a third presidential campaign in 2024. By October, the former President was demanding that he publicly rule out a White House bid of his own.
A statement to CNN from Trump spokesman Taylor Budowich appeared to confirm Trump’s obsession with receiving credit for DeSantis’ success. Budowich said the former President’s 2020 victory in Florida “paved the way for Republicans, including Governor Ron DeSantis, to sweep the state in 2022” and suggested that Trump “catapulted” then-Congressman DeSantis “into the Governor’s Mansion” with his endorsement in the 2018 GOP primary for Florida governor.
“President Trump remains committed and supportive of Governor Ron DeSantis, who has been a champion for President Trump’s America First agenda,” said Budowich.
Though the two remain in regular contact, Trump has become increasingly irritated at DeSantis’ refusal to publicly dismiss a 2024 bid of his own if the former President himself decides to run. Two people close to the situation said DeSantis has privately assured Trump and others that he has no intention of challenging him in a GOP presidential primary, but they noted that Trump won’t be fully satisfied until the governor says so publicly.
“I don’t think Trump appreciates the conundrum DeSantis is in. He wants him to say, ‘I won’t run,’ but DeSantis isn’t going to weigh in like that,” said a former Trump aide, who suggested that DeSantis’ current approach was politically savvy given his interest in securing another term as governor.
“It’s a very smart view. Until you get reelected, don’t start to have a conversation about 2024. If you’re trying to ask people for your vote and you’re leaning into presidential speculation, it makes it a lot harder,” the aide said.
Though DeSantis has previously dismissed 2024 chatter about him as “nonsense,” he has avoided taking the unequivocal public vow not to challenge Trump that other prospective Republican hopefuls have made.
Earlier this month, he officially filed to run for reelection for Florida governor in 2022 and he recently told Fox News host Sean Hannity that’s where his focus lies.
“I’m not considering anything beyond doing my job,” DeSantis said.
A spokesman for DeSantis did not respond to a request for comment. Helen Aguirre Ferré, the executive director of the Republican Party of Florida who has worked for Trump and DeSantis, told CNN, “I’m not going to get into that at all. I’ll leave that for somebody else.”
What sets DeSantis apart
Trump allies say it’s the organic enthusiasm for DeSantis — among deep-pocketed donors and the grassroots flank of the GOP — that has fueled Trump’s frustration with the governor, especially as it relates to 2024. When Trump’s name was removed from a presidential straw poll at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in February, it was DeSantis who led the pack with 43% support among the…
Read More: Trump’s ire grows as DeSantis’ popularity with Republicans takes off