Polls have consistently shown Donald Trump is the runaway favorite for the GOP nomination in 2024. However, they also make it quite clear that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is the most-favored alternative to Trump. In fact, DeSantis has outperformed Trump in several state polls. There’s no denying that Trump sees DeSantis as his biggest threat to getting the GOP nomination in 2024. Trump’s behavior makes this very clear. He has warned DeSantis to stay out of the race, has blasted his record as governor, and called him disloyal for even considering a run for president.
But what if there were a happy medium? Imagine if Trump and DeSantis ran together as a ticket? It seems like an excellent strategy to bring together the Republican Party for a significant win in 2024. Additionally, DeSantis would then be able to run for president in 2028 without spending two years out of office, which would be the case if he served a full second term as governor before running for president. So, this would be an advantageous move for Trump and DeSantis — and the country.
Two years ago, Trump was very much in favor of the idea when asked about it. “I would certainly consider Ron,” he said in a phone interview with Fox Business’ Stuart Varney back in June 2021. “I was the first one to endorse him, and my endorsement helped him tremendously,” Trump said. “And I know him very well. He’s a great guy.”
But much has changed since then. With DeSantis now seen as a legitimate contender for the 2024 GOP nomination and the most viable Trump alternative candidate, Trump has soured on him and now says it is “very unlikely” that he would pick DeSantis as his running mate for the 2024 election.
“No, I think that would be a very unlikely alliance,” Trump told Newsmax. “We have a lot of great people in the Republican Party. I’ve never thought of it, but, you know, some people every once in a while mention it, but that’s about it.”
Of course, things can change. Joe Biden picked Kamala Harris to be his running mate even after she accused him of being racist and saying that the women who accused him of sexual misconduct should be believed. Trump may have shut the door on the idea of picking DeSantis as a running mate, but he still left it unlatched instead of slamming it shut. If Trump wins the nomination and polls showed his best chance for victory was to run with DeSantis, I suspect he would.
Related: Trump Needs to Focus on Biden, Not DeSantis
DeSantis is dismissing the idea of being Trump’s running mate. “I think I’m probably more of an executive guy,” DeSantis told Newsmax. “I think that you want to be able to do things. That’s part of the reason I got into this job, because we have action. We can make things happen, and I think that’s probably what I am best suited for.”
Everything DeSantis has said is obviously true. But every presidential candidate or potential candidate dismisses the option of being on the bottom of the ticket because doing so could potentially undermine their own presidential aspirations.
Of course, there’s also the issue of the Twelfth Amendment, which dictates that no presidential elector can cast more than one of their votes for a candidate who is from the same state — which means that presidential and vice presidential candidates on a ticket must live in different states. Trump has already changed his residency from New York to Florida, and I doubt he’d change it again to accommodate DeSantis joining his ticket.
So, I’m sorry say that, while there may be a slim chance that the stars could align and make it happen, there will not be a Trump/DeSantis ticket in 2024.
But hey, dare to dream, right?