DeSantis doesn’t say whether he will campaign for Trump in 2024

When Gov. Ron DeSantis in January ended his campaign for president, he endorsed his opponent and Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

But that endorsement may be the extent of DeSantis’ support for the former president, his former political ally, on the 2024 campaign trail.

When asked at a news conference on Wednesday whether DeSantis would be joining Trump to campaign this year, DeSantis demurred.

DeSantis said he didn’t anticipate much campaigning in Florida, saying he doesn’t think Florida, which has trended more Republican, will be a competitive state for the presidential race. He noted that’s different from when he “came on the scene” and Florida was more of a swing state.

“This is not going to be a state that’s competitive in November, and that’s just the reality,” DeSantis said.

He said he would like to help nationally but wasn’t sure how. But he added that there would likely be competitive local races that “we’ll be involved in.”

In contrast, the day after the 2020 presidential election, DeSantis touted his hard work on the campaign trail for Trump and talked about the “electricity” the former president generated.

DeSantis’ office has not responded to multiple requests asking how and whether DeSantis voted in Tuesday’s presidential preference primary. Trump was the only candidate still running on the ballot, although DeSantis’ name as well as those of others who’d suspended their campaigns also appeared.

Following DeSantis’ comments on Wednesday, Trump’s campaign took a swipe at the Florida governor.

“Ron really shouldn’t flatter himself by assuming we’d want him on the campaign trail,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement. “We’re actually trying to win.”