Trump and DeSantis Rule Out Unity Ticket, to Nobody’s Surprise
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
In the least surprising moment of the 2024 campaign (so far), former President Trump announced that he probably won’t be tapping Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as his running mate. The move is no surprise, given Trump’s transparent dislike for DeSantis, a potential opponent in the upcoming Republican primaries.
“No, I think that would be a very unlikely alliance,” Trump said when questioned about the proposal in a Friday night interview with NewsMax.
More from Rolling Stone
Trump Attacks on Manhattan DA Are 'Ill-Advised,' His Attorney Admits
Trump 'Went to Waco to Bring Back Visions' of Cult Leader David Koresh, Democratic Rep. Says
Trump Claims Without Evidence That District Attorney 'Already Dropped' the Stormy Daniels Case
Trump says he will not choose Desantis as a running mate. pic.twitter.com/kUWro2XPE9
— Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) March 24, 2023
Trump does have an opening for the position, given that he kicked his former VP Mike Pence to the curb in March.
But the feeling is mutual — earlier on Friday, DeSantis was asked if he would consider running as Trump’s VP. “I’m probably more of an executive guy,” DeSantis replied.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), when asked if he’d be willing to serve as Donald Trump's vice president:
“I think I’m probably more of an executive guy.” pic.twitter.com/QrmYwepxZi— The Recount (@therecount) March 24, 2023
The unwillingness is no surprise given the series of jabs exchanged between the two in recent weeks. In an interview with Piers Morgan, the Florida governor leveled his most direct criticism of Trump yet, suggesting his “character” was unbecoming of a man following in the footsteps of George Washington and the country’s founders.
The back and forth veered into the bedroom earlier this week, with Trump and DeSantis going after each other’s sex lives.
When DeSantis was asked Monday to comment on Trump’s potential indictment over a 2016 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, the governor replied that he doesn’t “know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some type of alleged affair.”
Trump replied by insinuating that DeSantis could be gay, or engaging in relationships with underage women in a post on Truth Social.
Trump reposted his attack on DeSantis so that it now contains not just homophobia/transphobia but also grooming allegations pic.twitter.com/dPQ72X5m1T
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 20, 2023
While DeSantis has yet to declare if he’s even actually running in 2024, Trump has already anointed him as his chief rival in the race. With the bad blood rapidly pooling between them, a unity ticket is the last thing on their mind.
Best of Rolling Stone