We should be prepared for Donald Trump to throw curveballs by now. He regularly flip-flops on issues, especially if the controversial politician believes he’s been slighted or not pandered to enough. Still, even by Trump standards, announcing that he was considering Ron DeSantis as his running mate on his general election ticket was a surprise. Trump dropped the DeSantis bomb during a town hall event in Greenville, South Carolina, in February 2024.
Laura Ingraham rattled off a list of potential candidates popular among GOP supporters, including the Florida Governor. She asked 45 if he was considering any of them for the vice presidential role. “They’re all solid,” Trump replied (via YouTube). “And I always say I want people with common sense because there’s so many things happening in this country that don’t make sense.” DeSantis wasn’t playing ball, though. “People were mentioning me [as a potential vice president]. I am not doing that,” he clarified to his supporters in audio obtained by the New York Post.
DeSantis also dissed Trump’s VP criteria in February during another call, sharing, “I have heard that they’re looking more in identity politics.” DeSantis made it clear it wasn’t a strategy he supported, arguing, “I think you should just focus on who the best person for the job would be, and then do that accordingly,” he said (via NBC News).
