Ron DeSantis has ruled out being Donald Trump’s running mate, insisting that he was ‘not a number two guy.’
On Tuesday, while he was in Wisconsin, the governor of Florida gave a brief interview to Wisconsin Right Now, a local news podcast.
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He was inquired as to whether he would consider being Trump’s VP.
He countered, “I don’t think so.”
‘I’m not a number two guy. I think I’m a leader.
‘Governor of Florida: I’ve been able to accomplish a lot. I think I could probably do more staying there than being VP, which doesn’t really have any authority.’
DeSantis’s remarks drew scorn from the Trump campaign.
‘Ron DeSantis isn’t anybody’s guy. He’s not ‘the guy.’ He’s just a guy,” said Steven Cheung.
‘Ron is just there, sullen and sad, because his numbers are as tiny as him.’
DeSantis is currently significantly behind Trump.
DeSantis is polling at 21%, while his rival, who is 77 years old, is at 49.8% of Republican primary voters.
The claims that the governor of Florida, who was once regarded as a rising star, has performed poorly on the campaign trail and cannot connect with voters have been persistent.
DeSantis, 44, was asked by the podcast hosts who he was considering for his running mate, but he said the question was premature.
‘Who do you guys recommend?’ he asked.
‘I’m taking it one step at a time, and I think that’s something we’ll evaluate as time goes on.
‘I think it’s presumptuous to do it at this stage.
“I’m here to win the early primaries, and that’s what we have to do first,” said the candidate.
DeSantis stated that he and the notorious anti-vaxxer “worked together on Fauci.” However, he felt they disagreed on too much to be political severe partners when asked if he would consider RFK, Joe Biden’s Democratic rival, as a running mate.
He stated, “I think there are issues on which we can align.”
‘But on the bulk of issues I think he’s a liberal Democrat, so I’m going to choose somebody conservative.’
DeSantis did say that he would back the Republican nominee, even if it were Donald Trump.
To participate in the first Republican presidential debate on August 23, candidates must pledge to support the eventual nominee, whoever that is.
Trump hasn’t said if he’ll take the pledge.
Tim Scott and Nikki Haley stated they would sign, but Mike Pence, Chris Christie, and Vivek Ramaswamy have all declined to provide a clear response.
