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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) is indicating to GOP donors that he has no plans to challenge former President Donald Trump in 2024, Vanity Fair’s Gabriel Sherman reported on Wednesday.
DeSantis is currently running for reelection as governor of Florida against Democratic challenger Charlie Crist, but there has been wide speculation about his plans for 2024. At a recent debate with Crist, DeSantis even refused to directly say whether he would serve out a full term as governor, only fueling the speculation further.
In a November profile of DeSantis, Sherman previously reported that DeSantis was telling donors he would pull a “full-frontal assault” against Trump if he did decide to run. Florida’s governor is making his plans clearer to Republican Party donors now, according to the new report.
From Vanity Fair:
Sources told me DeSantis recently indicated to donors that he would not challenge Trump for the Republican nomination. “He’s led them to believe he will not run if Trump does,” a Republican briefed on the donor conversations told me. Another
source told me DeSantis’s calculus is that, at age 44, he can easily wait until the next presidential cycle, so why risk a brutal primary fight against a pugilist like Trump? “He can walk into the presidency in 2028 without pissing off Trump or Florida,” the source said.
Another source reportedly close to DeSantis meanwhile indicated the governor is running for the 2024 Republican Party presidential nomination, so DeSantis’ plans for his political future remain uncertain.
Trump has also not confirmed his 2024 plans, but he has heavily hinted that he will be running again.
The former president previously cast doubt on DeSantis and others challenging him and took credit for DeSantis’ meteoric rise in the party, claiming his endorsement “made” the Florida Republican.