Scott Walker says it's 'dangerous' for Trump to attack DeSantis, encourages Republicans to look at a number of 2024 hopefuls

• Scott Walker cautioned Trump against attacking Ron DeSantis in the wake of the 2022 midterms.
• "I just think it's dangerous, he's out on thin ice on that one politically," Walker told Insider.

Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said it's "dangerous" for former President Donald Trump to attack Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as the two Floridians eye a potential 2024 presidential primary clash.

"I just think it's dangerous, he's out on thin ice on that one, politically," Walker told Insider during a recent interview just before Trump formally announced his 2024 campaign. "I get that's his style, that's his instinct, it's worked before, it certainly worked in the 2016 primary process, but...it's a really high risk instinct."

Walker, who was briefly a presidential frontrunner in 2015 before his campaign crashed, heaped praise on DeSantis' commanding reelection victory this month. Florida ended up being the biggest bright spot on a night in which the GOP failed to retake the US Senate and eventually ended up with an extremely-narrow House majority.

"Ron DeSantis on economic, fiscal, social, you know, in every area what the Republican base likes, he's a champion on that," Walker said, comparing DeSantis to former blue state GOP governors such as Maryland's Larry Hogan and Massachusetts' Charlie Baker who took a more centrist approach to their respective jobs due to their states' politics.

Trump slammed DeSantis in the days leading up to and shortly after the midterms. The former president has called the governor "Ron De Sanctimonious" and accused him of being disloyal following Trump's endorsement of DeSantis' gubernatorial primary campaign in 2018.

So far, Trump remains the only major Republican to have announced a 2024 run. Trump did not mention DeSantis in his hour-plus announcement speech on November 15 at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.

Walker would not say that Trump shouldn't run in 2024, rather he called for an expansive field that could feature many current Republican governors. A former debate partner of then-Vice President Mike Pence, Walker said that Trump "did amazing things" during his time in office.

"I think he deserves the right to be considered, whether or not the voters should pick him or look at any number of others," Walker said.

Walker mentioned a number of potential 2024 aspirants, including Pence, DeSantis, former US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

"I just think there's going to be a long list of prospects out there," Walker said. "And it's ultimately going to be the voters that decide."