Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) claimed Wednesday that he is the only Republican candidate who is running with the intention of becoming the next president.
DeSantis’s statement comes only hours ahead of the Republican Party’s first presidential primary debate, which will air on Fox News Wednesday night at 9 p.m. The opponents DeSantis faces include Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).
UP FOR DEBATE: WHERE TRUMP, DESANTIS, AND REST OF REPUBLICAN 2024 FIELD STAND ON KEY ISSUES
“I’m not running to be vice president,” DeSantis said in an appearance on Fox News. “I’m not running to be in the Cabinet. And I’m not running to be a contributor on cable news. We’re running to win and we’re going to show people that we’ll get the job done.”
“I’m not running to be Vice President. I’m not running to be in the Cabinet. And I’m not running to be a contributor on cable news. We’re running to win and we’re going to show people that we’ll get the job done.” – @RonDeSantis pic.twitter.com/pWAk8vHses
— Never Back Down (@NvrBackDown24) August 23, 2023
The statement, while being a slight jab at his primary opponents, could also be intended as a jab at a PAC for former President Donald Trump, which recently launched a website promoting the event as the “2024 Vice Presidential Debate” — suggesting the candidates are campaigning to be Trump’s running mate.
Footage of DeSantis’s interview was shared on social media by a pro-DeSantis PAC, Never Back Down, which had its account on X, previously known as Twitter, briefly suspended on Wednesday. The account has since been restored, and a PAC staffer said X claimed that it “seems like our automated systems incorrectly picked it up as ‘spam.'”
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Trump has opted to not participate in the debate, citing a recent poll that gave him his biggest lead to date ahead of his opponents in the 2024 Republican primary race. The former president will instead participate in an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, which will be posted to X during the same time as the Republican debate.
While Trump has been charged in four cases, investigating everything from his handling of classified documents to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, it has not stopped his supporters from wanting to support and vote for him in 2024. Sixty-four percent of Republicans would be “very” or “somewhat” willing to cast their vote for Trump in the primary should he be convicted, while 60% would vote for Trump if he is imprisoned and is virtually unchanged for the general election, according to a poll from Morning Consult.
