Trump: DeSantis ‘Highly Unlikely’ to Have Role in New Administration

(Left) Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump during a campaign rally at the Grappone Convention Center in Concord, N.H., on Jan. 19, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images); (Right) Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at his caucus night event in West Des Moines, Iowa, on Jan. 15, 2024. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump said it is possible that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis could have a role in his next administration, but not likely.

“I have to be honest, everything’s a possibility. But I think it’s highly unlikely,” he told Fox News on Jan. 21 while on the stump in New Hampshire.

“I have a lot of great people, and I have people that have been with me right from the beginning,” he explained.

Nevertheless, President Trump said he was “honored” that the governor backed him immediately after exiting the race.

“It’s not easy—look, it’s not easy,” he said. “He fought hard, spent a lot of money, and a lot of people thought he’d do well. I was leading from the beginning, just so you understand. … But he was doing well, and I think he did the right thing.”

Tensions have been high between the two Republicans since 2022, when Mr. DeSantis—then running for a second gubernatorial term—failed to deny that he was considering a presidential bid.

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“To me, when you say, ‘No comment,’ that means you’re running,” President Trump said. “I think I took it quite seriously.”

Having thrown his weight behind the former congressman’s first gubernatorial campaign, President Trump has been open about his feelings of betrayal concerning Mr. DeSantis. But those feelings, he told Fox News, are now water under the bridge.

“Look, he endorsed me, and we have policies very similar, actually. I think [DeSantis’s supporters] will all come to me.”

End of the Road

Mr. DeSantis’s campaign, highly anticipated by many, ultimately failed to live up to expectations.

Although he served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, it was his “anti-woke” leadership as governor during the COVID-19 pandemic that made him a household name among conservatives nationwide.

But his attempt to ride that wave to the White House seemed doomed from the start. From his botched announcement on Twitter—now X—and internal staffing issues to his somewhat lackluster performances in the debates, he was never able to gain the momentum he needed to overtake President Trump as the GOP front-runner.

But the final nail in the coffin was Iowa. After staking his campaign on a strong showing in the Hawkeye State, with the backing of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, he placed a distant second in the Iowa Caucus, just edging out former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in third.

Less than a week later, on Jan. 21, he announced that he was suspending his campaign.

“If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome—more campaign stops, more interviews—I would do it. But I can’t ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don’t have a clear path to victory,” he said in a video message posted to his X account.

“While I’ve had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent, Joe Biden. That is clear. I signed a pledge to support the Republican nominee, and I will honor that pledge. He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear—a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism that Nikki Haley represents.”

Rumors Abound

Speculation has ramped up in recent weeks as to who President Trump might pick as a running mate. Many names have been floated as potential contenders, including former presidential candidate and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

But judging by his recent comments, the decision may have already been made.

When asked who he was considering at an Iowa town hall on Jan. 10, President Trump replied, “Well, I can’t tell you that, really,” before adding, “I mean, I know who it’s going to be.”

Then on Jan. 21, he told Fox News’s Bret Baier that he may release the name of his pick in the coming months, though he didn’t expect it to have much of an effect on the overall race.

“The person that I think I like is a very good person, pretty standard. I think people won’t be that surprised, but I would say there’s probably a 25 percent chance it would be that person.”