DeSantis Says He Won’t Run for Trump’s Vice President

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Gov said Ron DeSantis of Florida said Tuesday that he would not be interested in running for former President Donald J. Trumps vice president, if Mr. Trump wins the nomination in 2024.

I’m not a No. 2 men, Mr. DeSantis said in response to a question during an appearance on the Wisconsin Right Now podcast. I think I am a leader. Governor of Florida, I’ve done a lot. I think I can do a lot more staying there than being VP, with no real authority.

Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Mr. Trump, immediately shot down the idea that the former president would even consider Mr. DeSantis, a onetime ally now challenging him for the Republican nomination, as a running mate.

Ron DeSantis is not just any man. He is not the man. Hes just a guy,” Mr. Cheung said in a statement. Ron was just there, sullen and sad, because his numbers were as small as his.

The early (premature) vice-presidential sweepstakes

With not a single primary ballot cast, it is too early to speculate about who will be the Republican nominee for vice president. But that didn’t stop voters and political observers from doing just that.

At events for Mr. DeSantis in the nominee’s early states, some voters said they wanted the younger Mr. DeSantis on the same ticket as Mr. Trump.

DeSantis is four years too early, said Jim Mai, a Republican voter in the crowd for a speech Mr. DeSantis gave in Sioux Center, Iowa, in May. Trump should run and DeSantis should be his vice president.

But a joint ticket between the two men in Florida will prove logistically challenging.

The 12th Amendment to the Constitution prohibits members of the Electoral College from voting for a president and vice-president who are both from the same state as themselves. So if Mr. Trump chose Mr. DeSantis, or another Florida resident like Mayor Francis Suarez of Miami, who is also in the race, would lose 30 electoral votes in the states.

One solution: Mr. Trump, who moved his residence to Florida before the 2020 election, may change it back to New York.

Who might Trump ask to be his vice president, if he is the nominee?

It is unclear whether any of the leading candidates following Mr. Trump and Mr. DeSantis may be interested in joining the former presidents’ ticket, should he win the nomination.

Some of the more likely possibilities are former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina, who served as Mr. Trump at the United Nations; Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur who has a lot of praise for Mr. Trump; and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, whom Mr. Trump mentioned kindly.

But on Monday, when asked Mr. Scott on Fox News if he were to consider it, he said: You enter the race for president to win, just to win.

Others have criticized Mr. Trump was central to their campaigns and almost certainly disinterested. Mr. will not be interested either. Trump to him.

Of course, Mr. can choose. Trump by someone who is not currently running for president.

Presidential candidates typically choose a running mate to help them shore up support in an important swing state or a particular constituency. But the advisers of Mr. Trumps that he doesn’t think he needs any help from a No. 2.

Have any Republicans expressed interest in being the nominees’ running mate?

At this point in the race, it’s unlikely that a major contender for president would publicly downgrade their aspirations to No. 2 seats.

Former Vice President Mike Pence who was there, did that said he thinks running for vice president twice is enough for any American.

Maria Comella, a senior adviser of Mr. Christie, the previous record of New Jersey governors opposing Mr. Trump during the 2024 campaign. Considering he said he wouldn’t support him if he was the nominee or vote for him, think it’s pretty obvious the answer is no, he said in a statement.

And Tricia McLaughlin, a senior adviser to Mr. Ramaswamy, said he hopes to be the next president and is not interested in a VP slot.

The campaigns of Ms. Haley and Mr. Suarez did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Bret Hayworth contributed reporting from Sioux Center, Iowa, and Maggie Haberman from New York.

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