Donald Trump could view Ron DeSantis as a formidable opponent in the 2024 election.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has welcomed former President Trump to a campaign event, but extremely popular Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has not been invited.
On Wednesday, Trump said the event would take place on November 6, but he failed to include DeSantis. Politico reported on Thursday that Trump’s aides stated the governor would not be attending. If both Trump and DeSantis decide to run for president in the 2024 Republican primary, the former is considered the more formidable candidate.
Fox News Digital’s inquiries for comment from DeSantis’s and Rubio’s representatives were not met with an instant response.
This happened days after DeSantis dodged the question of whether or not he will seek the presidency in 2024. Charlie Crist, the Democratic candidate for governor of Florida, questioned DeSantis about it at a debate on Monday night.
“You should promise the people of Florida that, if re-elected, you would stay in office for the entire four years. Will it be yes or no? Could you please answer yes or no, Ron?” Asked Crist.
“I can see that Charlie can’t wait to bring up 2024 and Joe Biden. Let me be crystal clear: the only old, beaten-down donkey I have any interest in retiring is Charlie Crist. “Here’s what DeSantis had to say in response.
In surveys of Republican voters looking beyond 2024, Trump is consistently ahead of DeSantis, but the governor is still Trump’s most visible possible adversary.
Almost eighty-seven percent of those who participated in a presidential straw poll at the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit said that Donald Trump should be the Republican nominee in 2024. At the August Conservative Political Action Conference, 69% of delegates said they would vote for Trump in a 2024 election straw poll. The final tally for DeSantis’s support was 24%.
However, in a number of 2024 primary surveys, DeSantis has been shown to be the clear winner. According to the results of a poll of Republicans in New Hampshire, the governor has a slight edge over Trump in a possible Republican primary in June. There were 39% who said they would vote for the first-term Florida governor in the Republican primary, while 37% said they would vote for the former president.