Lara Trump warns Ron DeSantis not to run against her father-in-law in 2024: 'Those primaries get very messy and very raw'
- Lara Trump warned Ron DeSantis not to run in 2024, suggesting he would "fracture" the GOP's base.
- She urged DeSantis to postpone a potential presidential bid until the 2028 election.
Lara Trump has warned Ron DeSantis against running for president in 2024.
"I think that Ron DeSantis is very smart. Look, he's a young guy. There will be a lot of opportunity for him in the future, and he knows this, to run for president. I think he's probably waiting to see what my father-in-law does," she told Sky News Australia host Erin Molan on Sunday. DeSantis is 44 years old, nearly three decades younger than former President Donald Trump, who is 76.
Lara Trump, a Fox News contributor who is married to Trump's son Eric, suggested DeSantis run for president in 2028.
"I think he's a smart enough guy to know that it will be great to have all the support of this party, of the America First MAGA movement — whatever you want to call it — fully behind him in 2028 than possibly fracturing it in 2024," Trump said.
"I can tell you, those primaries get very messy and very raw," she added. "So wouldn't it be nicer for him, and I think he knows this, to wait until 2028?"
Donald Trump has not announced that he's running in 2024, but he has repeatedly hinted at a bid for the White House. He is set to make a "big announcement" on November 15 at Mar-a-Lago.
DeSantis has also not announced a 2024 run but has for months been touted as a potential frontrunner for the GOP nomination. And during a gubernatorial debate on October 25, he dodged a question from Democratic opponent Charlie Crist on whether he would serve a full term as Florida's governor.
For his part, Trump this month started openly slamming the Florida governor. Trump gave DeSantis the nickname "Ron DeSanctimonious" at a rally just days before the midterm elections. In a series of social media posts last week, the former president also called DeSantis "average" and accused him of being disloyal.
Meanwhile, DeSantis is, per The New York Post, distancing himself from the former president and ignoring the jabs.
Representatives for DeSantis and Trump did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.