Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is expected to officially announce his presidential bid by next week.
While the governor’s intention to run for president has been clear for months, he has recently taken steps to file formal paperwork to declare his candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, beginning his quest for the Republican presidential primary nomination.
While speaking to top donors and supporters on a Thursday afternoon call organized by the super PAC supporting him, Never Back Down, DeSantis claimed that there are “basically three people at this point that are credible” candidates for the 2024 presidential election.
“Biden, Trump and me. And I think of those three, two have a chance to get elected president — Biden and me, based on all the data in the swing states, which is not great for the former president and probably insurmountable because people aren’t going to change their view of him,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis’s quest for the GOP nomination will put him in direct competition with former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly attacked him on various social media platforms. At the moment, the Florida governor is running behind Trump in national polls for the GOP nomination, but experts believe the numbers are likely to change once DeSantis becomes an official candidate.
During his call on Thursday, DeSantis claimed that Republican voters’ attitudes have shifted to “we’ve got to win this time,” and while he praised Trump’s past policies, he emphasized that many have been undone by Biden.
“You know, Trump was somebody, we liked his policies but we didn’t like his values. And with you, we like your policies but also know that you share our values,” DeSantis said, quoting a voter he had spoken to in Iowa.
The Florida governor also claims that “the corporate media wants Trump to be the nominee,” adding that journalists, Trump, and other candidates have repeatedly attacked him. “There are some that kind of raise money just for themselves,” DeSantis said, seemingly referring to Trump, who has repeatedly come under scrutiny for not using funds from his political action committee to help others.
DeSantis must formally enter the race prior to soliciting donations for his campaign, which is why he expected to announce his presidential run ahead of an upcoming major fundraising meeting with donors in Miami on May 25.
