LEXINGTON, S.C. – So much for that Donald Trump-Ron DeSantis ticket.
Trump aides said Thursday that DeSantis is not in the vice presidential discussion, especially after the Florida governor questioned the former president’s criteria for picking a running mate.
“Ron DeSantis failed miserably in his presidential campaign and does not have a voice in selecting the next Vice President of the United States,” said Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Leavitt responded after news reports that DeSantis told supporters that Trump should not play “identity politics” with the running mate slot, presumably a reference to the fact that Trump has women and Black candidates on his vice presidential list.
“Now we have a diverse Republican Party. I want everybody in the fold, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t want people representing 10, 15% of the party being in the driver’s seat,” DeSantis said on a conference call with supporters of his failed presidential bid, according to audio obtained by NBC News.
In reposting the NBC report on the social media site X, formerly Twitter, Trump senior adviser Chris LaCivita referred to DeSantis as a “sad little man.”
DeSantis’ name surfaced in the running mate search during a Fox News town hall on Tuesday.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham read off a list of names suggested by the audience, including DeSantis, and Trump did not discount any of them.
The names included South Carolina U.S. Rep. and former 2024 presidential candidate Tim Scott, businessman and ex-candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, former Hawaii U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, Florida U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.
Trump has said he is also considering New York U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik.
Trump does not yet have the Republican nomination locked up, as he is still opposed by former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
The two square off Saturday in the South Carolina Republican primary.
In his talk with supporters, DeSantis suggested he would never be seriously considered by Trump to be a running mate. He said they approach the job differently.
“So I would want somebody that, if something happened, the people that voted us in would have been pleased to know that they’re going to continue the mission,” DeSantis said, according to NBC.
DeSantis added: “I’m not sure that those are going to necessarily be the criteria that Donald Trump uses. … I have heard that they’re looking more in identity politics. I think that’s a mistake. I think you should just focus on who the best person for the job would be, and then do that accordingly.”
Trump and DeSantis – and their aides – had a tense relationship before and after the Florida governor’s presidential bid.
DeSantis withdrew from the race after a distant second finish to Trump in the Iowa caucuses.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump’s VP list does not include Ron DeSantis, campaign says
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