Former U.S. President Donald Trump called on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to stay out of the 2024 race for the Republican presidential nomination, warning that he would lose the presidency and governorship.
In posts on Truth Social, Trump cited recent polls showing he is ahead of DeSantis, predicting that the latter’s running for president would hurt his chances of successfully running for office again.
“Ron DeSantis is not doing very well with me in the polls,” Trump wrote, “and if he decides to run for president, he will hurt and divide the Republican Party somewhat, lose an expensive and huge MAGA vote, and he will never be able to run successfully again. But if he remains Florida’s governor, as Florida voters intended, it’ll be a different story…but who knows?
According to the poll, DeSantis is seen as Trump’s biggest potential challenger.
Some polls in individual states have shown DeSantis leading Trump, including in Florida, Georgia and Iowa. But nationwide polls show Trump leading DeSantis and other potential contenders for the 2024 Republican nomination.
A Fox News poll last week showed that Trump was supported by 54% of Republican voters, with DeSantis the closest candidate with 24%.
Last week, Trump was indicted on 34 felony charges in Manhattan in connection with his alleged involvement in a pay scheme for porn star Stormy Daniels for hushing up an alleged affair weeks before the 2016 election.
Source: Forbes+RT
