Trump Dismisses DeSantis as VP Choice: 'Never Thought of It'

By Aila Slisco On 3/24/23 at 9:15 PM EDT

News Donald Trump Ron DeSantis Republicans 2024 Election

Former President Donald Trump said that he had "never" considered Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as his presidential election running mate, less than 24 hours after DeSantis dismissed the idea.

Trump, who announced his candidacy for the 2024 election in November, made the remarks during a Newsmax interview on Friday night. DeSantis has not officially announced his candidacy but is widely believed to be considering a primary challenge to the former president amid an escalating war of words.

During the interview, Newsmax host Rob Schmitt asked Trump whether he ever considered DeSantis as an "option" for vice presidential candidate.

"No, I never thought of it," Trump responded. "I think that there are a lot of great people in the Republican Party. I never thought of it."

"Some people, every once in a while, mentioned it," he continued. "But that's about it. Now, I think that would be a very unlikely alliance."

Donald Trump Ron DeSantis 2024 Republicans VP — Former President Donald Trump, left, is pictured at a campaign event in Davenport, Iowa, on March 13, 2023, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, right, is shown while speaking to the media in Tallahassee, Florida, on March 7, 2023. Trump on Friday said that he had "never" considered DeSantis for his 2024 running mate. Scott Olson; CHENEY ORR/AFP

Trump went on to suggest that DeSantis had only been elected in 2018 due to his endorsement, while attacking the governor for being a "disciple" of "loser" former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

"I had rallies for Ron, and we got him in," said Trump. "And a couple of years later, they said, 'Will you run for president against the president?' He said, 'I have no comment.' I said, 'That's not supposed to happen.'"

"But that's OK, whatever he wants to do," Trump added. "If you look at his record, he can't win ... Ron was a disciple of Paul Ryan, and Paul Ryan was a loser ... That's a bad person to be a disciple of."

In a Thursday night interview with Newsmax's Eric Bolling, DeSantis said that he was "probably more of an executive guy" in response to a question about whether he would consider serving as Trump's vice president.

The governor also laughed off a suggestion that Trump could serve as his vice president, while calling it "interesting speculation." He declined to say whether he was running for president.

During an interview with Piers Morgan this week, DeSantis also sidestepped a question on his candidacy but said that he believed he had "what it takes" to beat President Joe Biden in 2024.

Trump is facing a legal onslaught that includes potential criminal indictments in New York, Georgia and at the federal level. The impact of the possible prosecutions on his political future remains unclear.