Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday he would not be interested in running for former President Donald J. Trump’s vice president if Trump wins the 2024 nomination.
“I’m not a number 2 guy,” Mr. DeSantis saying in response to a question during an appearance on the Wisconsin Right Now podcast. “I think I am a leader. Governor of Florida, I have been able to accomplish a lot. I think I could probably do more staying there than being vice president, which doesn’t really have any authority.”
Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesman, immediately dismissed the idea that the former president would even consider DeSantis, a former ally now challenging him for the Republican nomination, as a running mate.
“Ron DeSantis is nobody’s guy. He’s not ‘the guy’. He’s just ‘a guy,'” Cheung said in a statement. “Ron is just there, sullen and sad, because his numbers are as small as he is.”
The early (very early) vice presidential draw
Without a single vote in the primary, it is too soon to speculate on who will be the Republican vice-presidential nominee. But that hasn’t stopped voters and political observers from doing just that.
At events for Mr. DeSantis in early nominated states, some voters have said they would like the much younger DeSantis to run on the same ticket as Mr. Trump.
“DeSantis is four years too soon,” said Jim Mai, a Republican voter in the crowd for a speech DeSantis gave at Sioux Center, Iowa, in May. “Trump should run and have DeSantis as his vice president.”
But a joint ticket between the two Florida men would be a logistical challenge.
The 12th Amendment to the Constitution prohibits members of the Electoral College from voting for a president and vice president who are from the same state as themselves. So if Trump were to pick DeSantis or another Floridian as Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who is also in the race, he would lose all 30 of the state’s electoral votes.
One solution: Trump, who moved his residence to Florida before the 2020 election, could move it back to New York.
Who could Trump ask to be his vice president, if he is the candidate?
It’s unclear if any of the top candidates behind Trump and DeSantis might be interested in joining the former president’s ticket, if he wins the nomination.
Some of the more likely possibilities could be former Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina, who served as Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations; Vivek Ramaswamy, a businessman who has lavished praise on Trump; and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, whom Trump has spoken kindly of.
But on Monday, when Mr. Scott was asked on Fox News if he would consider it, he said: “You enter the race for president to win, only to win.”
Others, like former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey — who has said one goal of his long shot is to topple Trump — would almost certainly have no interest. Trump wouldn’t be interested in it either.
Of course, Mr. Trump could select someone not currently running for president.
Presidential candidates typically choose a running mate to help bolster support in a crucial critical state or with a specific group of voters. But Trump’s advisers have frequently said that he doesn’t think he needs such help from a number two.
Have any Republicans expressed interest in being the candidate’s running mate?
At this point in the race, it’s unlikely that a major presidential contender would publicly downgrade to the No. 2 spot.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who has been there, has done that, has saying who thinks that “running for vice presidency twice is enough for any American.”
And Tricia McLaughlin, Ramaswamy’s senior adviser, said he “hopes to be our next president and is not interested in a vice president position.”
The campaigns for Ms. Haley, Mr. Christie and Mr. Suárez did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Bret Hayworth contributed reporting from Sioux Center, Iowa, and maggie haberman from New York.
