DeSantis Dodges Question on Endorsing Trump as 2024 Nominee

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Avoided by Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Thursday said directly that he would endorse Donald J. Trump in 2024 should the former president win the Republican nomination, showing his reluctance to make a palatable show of support for the man who beat the him widely. margins in national polls and insulted him almost daily.

A reporter asked at a news conference in Tampa whether he would endorse Mr. Trump, the governor responded by complaining that Mr. Trump had recently criticized his policies during the coronavirus pandemic. Mr. DeSantis specifically noted that his rival compared him unfavorably to the former governor of New York, Andrew M. Cuomo, a Democrat.

So what I will say is this: When you say that Cuomo did better with Covid than Florida did, you expose yourself to be full of it, Mr. DeSantis said. No one believes that.

I remember in 2020 and 2021, when he was praising Florida for openness, saying that we did it better than New York and Michigan and that everyone was going to Florida and that we were one of the great governors in the United States, he continued, his voice rising. And he always said that. Now, his tone suddenly changed. And I’m just going to say to people, do you think this is believable? Honestly, can you trust it?

Mr. Trump himself has not pledged to support the parties’ 2024 nominee if a rival defeats him in the primaries, underscoring the degree of division in the Republican field. The federal indictment of Mr. Trumps led some of the other candidates to openly criticize him, questioning his judgment. But Mr. Trump, who regularly calls Mr. DeSantis Ron DeSanctimonious and accused him of needing a personality transplant, retains the support of many Republican voters.

At the end of his answer, Mr. DeSantis, following Mr. Trump, up about 30 percentage points in national polls as more candidates jump into the race, has turned to acknowledge the importance of the nominating contest.

It’s an important process and, you know, you respect the process and you respect people’s decisions about how it goes, he said. But I am very confident that those decisions will be positive for us.

On social media, the allies of Mr. Trumps rejection of Mr. DeSantiss to pledge allegiance to his rival if he falls short.

Ron DeSantis just proved again why he is a Never Trumper in the mold of Liz Cheney and Jeb Bush, which completely disqualifies him for 2024, as well as 2028, Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, said. in a statement.

But Mr. Trump, of course, has taken a similar stance.

It depends, Mr. Trump said in a radio interview earlier this year when asked whether he would support whoever wins the parties’ nominations. He added, it depends on who is nominated.

Republicans generally showed more favor to Mr. Trump than his rivals, chastising the former president’s challengers for sentiments similar to those he has expressed.

The Republican National Committee says candidates must pledge to support the party’s eventual nominee if they want to participate in the debates.

Later Thursday, at a campaign event in South Carolina, Mr. DeSantis, who interrupted a reporter who asked why he seemed to be avoiding supporting Mr. Trump.

I did not avoid, no, I was misquoted, Mr. DeSantis. Here’s what I said, I said: Run this process. You compete and you respect the outcome of the process. And I always say that. And that’s what I said earlier. That’s what Ill will do. I think I will be the nominee. No matter what happens, I will work hard to defeat Joe Biden.

Voters at the South Carolina event said they hoped Mr. DeSantis and other Republican candidates would support Mr. Trump, if the former president is the nominee.

I think everyone should be united, whoever gets the nomination, said Shawn Risseeuw, 57, a mechanical engineer who lives in North Augusta, SC, and described himself as a strong supporter of DeSantis. They are fools otherwise.

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