Ron DeSantis told supporters of his failed presidential candidacy that he doesn't want to be vice president but hasn't ruled out seeking the top job in 2028. The Florida governor made the comments on a private video call with more than 200 backers, reports NBC News, which has audio of the call. The session was billed as a thank-you to those who volunteered to be DeSantis delegates. When the subject of being the Republican nominee's running mate came up, DeSantis said, "I am not doing that," then offered advice to Donald Trump's advisers, the New York Times reports.
"I have heard that they're looking more in identity politics. I think that's a mistake," he said. "I think you should just focus on who the best person for the job would be." Trump had told Fox News that DeSantis was one of the top possibilities, should he win the nomination. DeSantis has said all along that he's not interested, per CNN. The next presidential election might be a different story. "I haven't ruled anything out," when it comes to 2028, said DeSantis, who told the group he plans to stay involved in national politics.
Trump's camp rejected DeSantis' advice. "Ron DeSantis failed miserably in his presidential campaign and does not have a voice in selecting the next vice president of the United States," a spokesperson said. The governor criticized right-wing media, saying it provided "no accountability at all for anything Trump would say" during the GOP campaign. And he ripped Trump's record as president, per the Times. "I was in Congress the first two years when Trump was president," DeSantis said. "I mean, we didn't really do what we said we would do." (More Ron DeSantis stories.)
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