Ron DeSantis is not planning to ask Trump to endorse him, per Politico.- Politico spoke to four sources close to the Florida governor and the former president.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is not planning to ask former President
Politico spoke to four people linked to Trump and the Florida governor, who confirmed that DeSantis has not, and does not have the intention to get Trump's backing for his re-election this year.
An individual linked to Trump's endorsement process who spoke under condition of anonymity said that Trump would, however, endorse DeSantis if he asked for support. Dave Abrams, a spokesman for the DeSantis campaign, did not comment on whether DeSantis is angling to get Trump's support.
Politico's report on DeSantis' reluctance to seek a Trump endorsement comes amid a fresh slate of comments from the former president regarding the Florida governor.
This week, Trump said he didn't know if DeSantis planned to run for president in 2024 and claimed credit for the Florida governor's political success.
"I don't know that he wants to run. I have a good relationship with Ron, I don't know that he wants to run. I haven't seen that. You're telling me something that I've not seen, so we'll see what happens," Trump told Newsmax.
Both men have been touted as hot favorites for the Republican presidential nomination.
In June, DeSantis beat Trump in a straw poll that asked conservatives who they'd most like to see as their 2024 presidential nominee. A 2021 straw poll asking the same question found that DeSantis received 74% approval while Trump received 71%.
In October 2021, DeSantis said he wouldn't consider a presidential run because he's busy "trying to make sure people are not supporting critical race theory." Meanwhile, Trump has repeatedly teased the possibility of another run but has not yet made a formal declaration.