In a call with donors, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) insisted on Thursday that he is among the three “credible” choices vying for the White House in 2024, and that the prospects of former President Trump winning were “not particularly strong.”
“You have basically three people at this point that are credible in this whole thing. Biden, Trump and me,” DeSantis reportedly said on the call. “And I think of those three, two have a chance to get elected president — Biden and me, based on all the data in the swing states, which is not great for the former president and probably insurmountable because people aren’t going to change their view of him.”
The call was organized by Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting DeSantis in 2024.
For our VIP Members: Grappling With Supporting Trump or DeSantis in 2024
According to the report from Fox News Digital, during the call, DeSantis stated that the corporate media is favoring former President Trump to become the nominee, pointing to the criticism he has faced from journalists and current presidential candidates, echoing a longstanding theory that the left wants Trump to be the nominee because he’d be the easiest candidate to beat in 2024.
According to a recent Washington Post general election poll, both Trump and DeSantis have seven-point leads over Biden.
The Trump campaign responded to DeSantis by claiming he is being misled by his consultants.
“Ron DeSantis is having a no good, very bad week with two devastating losses on Election Day, and letting Disney steamroll him. Everything he is saying is exactly what consultants tell candidates to manipulate and bamboozle them,” Trump spokesperson Stephen Cheung told Fox News.
Related: Ron DeSantis to Formally Enter 2024 Race Next Week
Sources familiar with Governor DeSantis’s decision have indicated that he is expected announce his official entry into the 2024 race for the White House next week, when DeSantis will reportedly submit the necessary paperwork to the Federal Election Commission to formally declare his candidacy for president.
Trump has been attacking DeSantis for months in an effort to prevent him from entering the race. A recent CBS News/YouGov poll found that despite his strong lead in GOP primary polls, Trump’s support mostly comes from potentially persuadable Republican voters. The poll indicates that only 24% of GOP primary voters exclusively consider supporting Trump, while 27% are not considering him at all. Additionally, 49% of GOP primary voters are open to considering Trump or another candidate.
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