- Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said he would consider running for president in 2024.
- "It's something that I would consider given the right circumstances and given the right mood of the country," he said.
MIAMI, Florida — Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said Monday that he's considering joining the crowded field of prospective 2024 Republican presidential candidates.
"It's something that I would consider given the right circumstances and given the right mood of the country," Suarez said Monday at a Punchbowl News event.
Suarez has been getting national attention given the surge of people and tech companies moving to Florida, particularly to Miami. Suarez didn't vote for former President Donald Trump during the 2020 election and in the 2018 gubernatorial race in Florida he voted for Democrat Andrew Gillum rather than Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Suaez is a 45-year-old Cuban American who's head of the National Conference of Mayors. During his tenure he has actively worked to recruit Silicon Valley companies to Miami.
When asked about how he might stand out in a presidential race, he pointed to his age difference from some of the other potential condenders.
"I'm someone who is from the next generation," Suarez said at the event, held at Miami Ironside. "I'm not a boomer, obviously. I'm someone who believes in a positive aspirational message. I'm someone who has a track record of success and a formula for success."
There's no shortage of Floridians considering a presidential bid. Trump continues to tease a presidential run, and there's a lot of chatter surrounding Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Other possible contenders could include Sens. Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, who ran for the ticket in 2016.
Trump would be 78 if he were to run for president in 2024. DeSantis is a year younger than Suarez.
Suarez said he might be able to speak to "a variety of minority communities that are going to be important if Republicans want to grow their base for a generation."
Florida's battleground status will be tested during the November midterms, in which both DeSantis and Rubio are up for reelection. Republicans have out-registered Democrats in the state by 270,000 people, and Florida — including Trump's Mar-a-Lago — is a major destination for fundraisers.
Suarez said he'd evaluate the "mood" of US voters before making a determination. In 2016, he said, the mood had been "angry" and in 2020 voters "wanted anything but Trump."
"It remains to be seen what the country is going to want in '24," he said.
If Trump and DeSantis were both to enter the race, Suarez predicted, then they'd be similar candidates who'd attract the same type of voters. He predicted Trump would be "definitive" whether he decides to enter the race or whether he decides to be a GOP kingmaker.
But Suarez said Trump also has been kind to him. The two spoke at a wedding recently, he said, and Trump told him he was the "hottest politician in America after him."
"I don't know if he meant physically hot or if he meant I was getting a lot of buzz," Suarez said. "But he was very nice."