First of all, DeSantis has stated that he's not interested in the presidency, he wants to remain governor. With his wife now facing the challenges of breast cancer, I seriously doubt he'll consider a run for the presidency.
Secondly, if Trump runs, who's going to challenge him? Romney? He'd be wise to select his running mate early; perhaps Greene.
Donald Trump sends a very clear message to Ron DeSantis: Stay out of 2024!Donald Trump may be waiting to announce his (seemingly inevitable) run for his old office in 2024 but he's already sending a warning shot at a potential rival for the nomination.
Asked about the possibility of facing Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2024, Trump was hugely dismissive.
"If I faced him, I'd beat him like I would beat everyone else," Trump told Yahoo Finance late last week. "I think most people would drop out, I think he would drop out."
Make no mistake at what Trump is doing here: He is sending a very clear shot across DeSantis' bow, making sure the newest and biggest star in the national Republican firmament knows that he can't possibly hope to beat the former president -- and shouldn't even try.
Whether Trump's aggressive approach to a DeSantis' candidacy impacts the Florida' governor's thinking about 2024 remains to be seen. But like with so many things Trump says about other people, it's deeply revealing about the former president and how he thinks about himself and his role in the party and the country.
Trump views himself, effectively, as the king of the Republican Party. In his mind, everyone is not only below him but also owes him a debt of gratitude for having any sort of power. And that view very much informs how he sees DeSantis............
https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/04/politics/donald-trump-ron-desantis-florida-2024/index.html
