Former President Donald Trump spoke candidly when asked about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis potentially running for President in 2024.
Trump, who is the sole Republican candidate as of now, called it a “betrayal” if the governor were to run against him, saying that it would be a “great act of disloyalty” if the governor would oppose his 2024 presidential campaign.
Many Republicans hold high hopes for DeSantis and argue that his policies aimed at enhancing the lives of Floridians demonstrate his leadership potential.
In recent polls, DeSantis has been favored slightly more than Trump, particularly among Republican voters and those who lean Republican. These voters rated DeSantis at 71% favorable, compared to 70% for Trump. However, a lower 10% viewed DeSantis unfavorably, compared to 28% for Trump.
In terms of the future Republican presidential nominee, Republican voters and Republican-leaning independents preferred DeSantis by a significant margin, with 64% favoring DeSantis over Trump’s 36%.
On Saturday, Trump held campaign events in New Hampshire and South Carolina and later sat down with the Associated Press for an interview.
During the interview, the AP noted the increasing number of potential rivals, such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
Many Republicans view Nikki Haley and Mike Pence as RINOs, so their chances of grasping the position of U.S. President may be slim.
Trump chose to focus on DeSantis out of all of his rivals, claiming credit for DeSantis’s victory in the 2018 Florida election and citing his endorsement as the main contributing factor to his success.
He highlighted the importance of his influence on DeSantis’s rise to prominence in the political arena.
“If he runs, that’s fine. I’m way up in the polls,” Trump said. “He’s going to have to do what he wants to do, but he may run. I do think it would be a great act of disloyalty because, you know, I got him in. He had no chance. His political life was over.”
Trump informed the outlet that he has not been in contact with DeSantis for an extended period.
Currently, DeSantis has not expressed his plans to run in 2024.
However, there has been a growing number of Republicans who desire to see someone other than Trump run for the election.
