Donald Trump, then-President of the United States and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Sunrise, Florida. Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Politico reported that Trump wants DeSantis publicly to say he won’t launch a challenger 2024 presidential campaign.
According to Mar-a-Lago, he complained to DeSantis about not doing so.
Trump has stirred rumors about a bid for 2024, but DeSantis is believed to have his own ambitions.
Trump was furious at the Florida governor. Ron DeSantis is a rising star of Republican politics and won't publicly exclude himself from a bid for 2024 presidency, if Trump chooses to stand.
Politico's Playbook newsletter reported that Trump was complaining to guests and members at Mar-a-Lago in Florida that DeSantis hadn't made a public declaration, like other potential competitors, that he wouldn't run in the 2020 presidential election.
Politico reported that Trump had told his advisors privately that DeSantis told him he wouldn’t run if Trump did. "But that’s not enough for Trump - he wants DeSantis publicly to say it."
According to the report, Trump was promoting Charlie Crist's chances of becoming Florida's governor in 2022.
Liz Harrington, a spokesperson of Trump, said Insider that the Politico report was fake news when she was asked.
Trump has been rumored for years that he would run again for the presidency in 2024. He has also raised millions of dollars through fundraising efforts.
Former president Trump's desire for another White House term puts allies like DeSantis in a difficult position. They are believed to have presidential ambitions. Some of his allies, like Nikki Haley, former UN ambassador, have stated that they will not run for the presidency if Trump is elected.
DeSantis, who has been portrayed as the inheritor of Trump’s economic agenda, has also opposed certain public health mandates to reduce the COVID pandemic.
Rumours of a run for 2024 were dismissed by DeSantis before. Trump suggested in an April interview that DeSantis could run alongside him as vice president.
Business Insider has the original article.
