Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made it clear he will not be considering a spot as Donald Trump’s running mate, despite his position on the former president's "short list."
During a thank-you call with delegates for his presidential campaign, DeSantis stated, “People were mentioning me [as a potential vice president]. I am not doing that.”
He further revealed he is exploring other opportunities, potentially including a White House bid in four years.
DeSantis, 45, shared insights on the qualities he believes are crucial in a running mate for Trump, highlighting the need for someone who can "do the job" from day one, indicating a partiality toward governors for the role.
He also noted, “I think my criteria [for running mate] was different than what probably Donald Trump’s criteria will be."
"I need someone who can do the job if it came to that, and I would have been the third-youngest president elected, so chances are, actually, I would probably be in pretty good shape, but you never know what else can happen, it’s happened before," he told the delegates from his campaign.
"I'm not sure that those are necessarily going to be the criteria that Donald Trump uses. I think he’s going to probably use different criteria. I’ve heard that they are looking more at identity politics," DeSantis explained. "I think that’s a mistake. I think you should just focus on who you think the best person for the job would be.”
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As OK! previously reported, Trump revealed a diverse list of potential candidates for his 2024 running mate, including DeSantis and others such as Tulsi Gabbard, Tim Scott, Byron Donalds, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Kristi Noem.
DeSantis suspended his campaign following a second-place finish to Trump in the Iowa caucus and went on to endorse the former president over mutual competitor Nikki Haley.
Reflecting on the challenges faced during the campaign, the Florida governor acknowledged attacks from Trump and his allies, attributing some of the hostility to individuals with past grievances.
DeSantis outlined his plans for the future, hinting at forthcoming updates for his supporters and potential avenues for him to explore.
