DeSantis Says He Won’t Be Trump’s White House Running Mate

Florida Governor-elect Ron DeSantis (R) sits next to then- President Donald Trump during a meeting with Governors elects in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington on on Dec. 13, 2018. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) said he would not join former President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential bid if he were to lose his own 2024 campaign, according to remarks he gave during a podcast on Tuesday.

“I don’t think I’m a No. 2 guy. I think I’m a leader, governor of Florida. I’ve accomplished a lot,” Mr. DeSantis said during the Wisconsin Right Now podcast. “I think I could do more staying there than being VP, which doesn’t really have any authority.”

An aggregate of polls shows that Mr. DeSantis is trailing Mr. Trump by more than 30 percent as of July 11. An average of recent polls shows Mr. Trump with 52.6 percent support to Mr. DeSantis’ 21 percent, while all the others had fewer than 10 percent support.

But Mr. DeSantis indicated that he would support Mr. Trump if he wins the GOP nominee. “I am going to support the Republican nominee,” he said when asked about the prospect.

The Florida Republican was also asked about ways in which he differs from Mr. Trump on certain policies. In one instance, Mr. DeSantis faulted the former president for deferring too much to former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases chief Anthony Fauci.

“He turned the country over to Dr. Fauci; I think that was a big mistake.” Mr. DeSantis asserted, adding that “I would have fired Fauci because I think Fauci did huge damage to this country” and said Mr. Trump’s response to COVID-19 was a “disaster.”

“I can serve two terms,” Mr. DeSantis also said, claiming Mr. Trump signed “every bloated spending bill that the swamp put on his desk.”

On immigration, Mr. DeSantis added that “I would do the wall better“ because, according to him, ”cartels cut through it. They’re literally bringing product into our country right through the wall.”

In contrast, if elected president, the Florida governor would instead use drones with various sensors and the military to engage cartels with “lethal force” if they bring drugs in through the border.

Mr. DeSantis declined to say who he is considering joining his ticket as vice president if he wins the GOP nomination. However, he ruled out Democratic challenger Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has been embraced by some conservatives—namely for his stance on vaccines—but Mr. DeSantis said that Mr. Kennedy is aligned with Democrats on a range of issues, but there are areas where he and Mr. Kennedy agree.

Over the past week or so, Mr. DeSantis has faced criticism from other Republicans over how he’s running his campaign as the Florida governor has not been able to make significant headway against Mr. Trump in the polls. A DeSantis political action committee (PAC) spokesperson conceded as much over the past weekend.

“Right now, in national polling, we are way behind. I’ll be the first to admit that,” said Steve Cortes, who previously worked as a Trump adviser, in a Twitter Spaces event. “I believe in being really blunt and really honest. It’s an uphill battle.”

An estimated 30,000 people flood the streets of Pickens, S.C., for a pre-Independence Day rally supporting former President Donald Trump as he is campaigning to retake the White House on July 1, 2023. (Janice Hisle/The Epoch Times)

Still, Mr. Cortes said that he believes Mr. DeSantis can win the nomination and suggested that Mr. Trump has “debated through two successive presidential cycles, so, of course, he possesses a lot of experience in that arena.”

“But I am convinced that Governor DeSantis will outperform expectations and inform large audiences about his amazing life, political record, and winning agenda for the presidency,” he remarked.

So far, Mr. DeSantis has raised $150 million in its first six weeks, while his PAC has raised about $130 million since it launched in March, records show. In a statement about the numbers, the governor said they are the “largest first-quarter filing from any non-incumbent Republican candidate in more than a decade.”

Responding to the poll numbers, Mr. DeSantis told Fox News that “corporate media” outlets are targeting him: “Who do they not want to be the nominee? They’re going after me.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has continued to target Mr. DeSantis on social media and made note of his relatively low poll numbers. Mr. DeSantis announced his 2024 White House bid on Twitter in mid-May.

“If they don’t like Ron DeSanctimonious now, they won’t like him any better 6 months from now with the start of ‘Primary Season,’” the former president wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday, using a term he created for the governor. “The more people get to know him, the lower go his polls. He is now in the mid-teens, and falling fast!”

Days before that, Mr. Trump alleged that due to the flagging polling numbers, Mr. DeSantis is now “desperately trying to get out” of the race and cited Mr. Cortes’ public statements over the past weekend.