Politics

Donald Trump is scared Ron DeSantis will run for president in 2024

Ron DeSantis, Disney, Florida, district
Gov. Ron DeSantis Photo: Shutterstock

Donald Trump is reportedly “very stressed out” about several key Republicans who may be running for president in 2024, most notably Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. One of Trump’s lawyers and Trump-loyal Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) are trying to talk DeSantis out of running.

On Monday night, the former president once again teased a potential White House run in 2024. Trump told the crowd at a campaign rally for Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance (R) that he would be making a “big announcement” on November 15.

Speaking about the media’s coverage of Trump’s will-he-won’t-he build-up on CNN Tuesday morning, New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman suggested the announcement is likely timed to shift focus from other potential candidates.

“He has had a real hard time looking at other candidates getting attention. He has had a hard time watching these midterm candidates, and he knows there are a bunch of people who are thinking of running themselves,” Haberman said. “The date that he put out there, November 15, is when Mike Pence’s book is coming out. I don’t think that’s a coincidence either.”

But her comments suggest it’s DeSantis who is likely Trump’s biggest worry.

“He’s very very stressed out…watching Ron DeSantis, who we know is poised, assuming things go well for Republicans and in Florida and all the polls indicate it’s going to today—that he could come out of tonight with a head of steam for 2024…Trump wants to blunt that and that makes sense politically.”

Haberman’s comments follow other key Trump allies’ attempts to discourage DeSantis from a potential White House bid in 2024. At Monday night’s rally in Ohio, Trump lawyer Alina Habba told pro-Trump YouTube channel Right Side Broadcasting Network that “DeSantis is DeSantis because of Trump,” adding that “he needs to stay in Florida.”

In a separate interview on Monday night, Rep. Greene old Right Side Broadcasting Network’s Brian Glenn that DeSantis needs to serve his full term as Florida’s governor rather than run against Trump in the 2024 Republican primary.

“What we need in this country, Brian, is we need strong Republican governors like Ron DeSantis,” she said. “We need strong Republican governors to fight, stay in for eight years and save their states, not to abandon their states and try to run for president or any other big position.”

“My message is for everyone, anyone that’s considering running for president in 2024 against President Trump, please support President Trump,” added Greene, who has said she is open to running alongside the former president as VP.

DeSantis, who has positioned himself as a “competent” version of Trump, is expected to coast to reelection on Tuesday, despite the growing rift with the former president. Real Clear Politics’ polling average shows the incumbent leading Democratic challenger Charlie Crist by 12.2 points.

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