Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Won’t Say If He’ll Support Trump As GOP Presidential Nominee

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) declined to say whether he would support Donald Trump if he becomes the Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election. DeSantis’ hesitance comes after the former president’s remarks about Florida’s failure to handle Covid-19.

DeSantis gained recognition in 2020 after pushing back on mask and vaccine mandates, as well as school closures and state-wide lockdowns. He became one of Dr. Anthony Fauci’s most vocal critics and used his opinions about the pandemic to build a larger conservative base.

Trump, however, has repeatedly found fault in DeSantis’ Covid-19 policies. During a Fox News interview that aired last week, Trump stated that former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) did a better job of handling the pandemic than DeSantis.

“When you are saying that Cuomo did better on Covid-19 than Florida did, you are revealing yourself to just be full of it,” said DeSantis during a Tampa press conference. “And you know why I know that? Because I remember in 2020 and 2021 when he was praising Florida for being open, saying we did it much better than New York and Michigan.”

DeSantis, also a candidate for the 2024 election, was criticized for sidestepping questions about his potential support for Trump. Make America Great Inc., the super PAC backing the former president, wrote in a statement that “DeSantis… is not an America First conservative and he is out of touch with Republican voters.”

DeSantis is not the only candidate who has denounced Trump in recent weeks. Despite the Republican National Committee’s requirement that all participants in the August presidential debate must commit to supporting the eventual Republican nominee, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson have both asked for the committee to waive this requirement.

Reluctance to back Trump comes after he was indicted on 37 counts for mishandling classified documents after he left the White House and attempting to obstruct justice during the FBI’s investigation. Many Republicans have questioned whether or not Trump is suited to take office again.