Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says 'speculation' about him running for president in 2024 is 'purely manufactured'
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday dismissed rumors about a 2024 presidential run.
- "I hear all this stuff and honestly it's nonsense," he said during a press conference.
- DeSantis has become a rising star in Republican politics over the past several months.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday threw cold water on talks about him running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.
"All the speculation about me is purely manufactured," DeSantis said during a press conference to mark the opening of a new COVID-19 treatment center in Osceola County. "I just do my job. We work hard ... that's what it's really all about, just helping folks here."
"I hear all this stuff and honestly it's nonsense. So I don't really know what to say to rumors," he added.
The governor's outright dismissal of 2024 buzz comes amid Republicans eyeing him as a possible contender in the upcoming presidential election. Recent straw polls show Republican voters ranked DeSantis in second place for the 2024 GOP nomination, behind former President Donald Trump. In polls conducted without Trump on the ballot, DeSantis came in first.
Over the past several months, DeSantis has been thrust into the national spotlight for his Trumpian political style and ability to connect with the party's base. Republicans have praised him for his opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns in Florida, his criticism of President Joe Biden, and his promotion of conservative ideologies in partisan culture wars, such as cracking down on social media companies and rejecting critical race theory.
With a prominent endorsement from Trump, DeSantis successfully ran for governor in Florida in 2018. Before that, he was a lawmaker representing Florida's 6th Congressional District since 2013.
DeSantis is among several rumored 2024 GOP candidates, including Trump ally South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Trump's former United Nations ambassador, Nikki Haley.
Trump has also made clear that he's considering a possible third bid for the White House in 2024. Sources close to the former president recently told Vanity Fair that Trump is upset with DeSantis' rising popularity in the Republican party. Trump has previously suggested that if he chooses to run in 2024, he would consider DeSantis as his vice presidential pick.