Former President Trump said Sunday it was “highly unlikely” he’d ask Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to serve in a second Trump administration after DeSantis ended his own presidential campaign and endorsed him.
Trump, who is the dominant front-runner for the GOP nomination, told “Fox & Friends” the bitter rivalry between him and DeSantis was water under the bridge. But he downplayed the prospect of the governor having a role to play in a Trump White House.
“It’s probably unlikely,” Trump said after DeSantis dropped out of the race. “But I have to be honest: Everything’s a possibility, but I think it’s highly unlikely. I have a lot of great people, and I have great people that have been with me right from the beginning.”
Trump added DeSantis had not asked for a position in a possible administration. The governor’s current term runs through 2026.
DeSantis suspended his 2024 campaign Sunday after a distant second-place finish in Iowa, where he had spent considerable time and resources. He was polling in single digits in New Hampshire ahead of Tuesday’s primary and concluded he did not have a path to victory.
DeSantis endorsed Trump, who for months had ridiculed him on a personal level and accused the Florida governor of disloyalty because of his primary challenge.
“Well, you know, I endorsed him [for governor]. I didn’t know him as well as you might think, but I did endorse him,” Trump told Fox News. “And I had some fun with it, because I watched somebody who was not in the race, and all of a sudden he was in the race. And then he did a good job as governor. So, I was happy with that. But I was disappointed when they asked him whether or not he’d run. And he said, ‘I have no comment.’ Because, to me, when you say no comment, that means you’re running.”
Trump also said it was “highly unlikely” former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, his top rival remaining in the primary race, would end up serving in a second administration. Trump over the weekend threw cold water on the prospect of Haley, who had served as his United Nations ambassador, joining a GOP ticket as his running mate.
