Ron DeSantis making moves for 2028 White
House bid — but will MAGA embrace Trump’s
former foe?
New York Post,
by
Steven Nelson
,
Ryan King
&
Victor Nava
Original Article
Posted By: DA717,
5/5/2026 11:00:28 AM
WASHINGTON — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is crisscrossing the country as he lays the groundwork for an increasingly likely 2028 presidential campaign — refining his pitch, building relationships and working to move past his bruising 2024 defeat by President Trump.
The term-limited Sunshine State governor, 47, started the week by joining business leaders at the Milken Institute’s global conference in Beverly Hills and will keynote the New York Republican Party’s May 19 annual gala at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan.
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Reply 1 - Posted by:
DVC 5/5/2026 11:10:19 AM (No. 2100825)
If he is nominated, I would be pleased to vote for DeSantis.
21 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
Kate318 5/5/2026 11:10:29 AM (No. 2100826)
I like Ron DeSantis. I always have. He made some unfortunate political choices in 2024, and threw his lot in with the Lincoln Project crowd. Plus, it was simply the wrong time for him to run. Hopefully, he aligns himself more with MAGA advisors this time. I would welcome him to the race.
25 people like this.
Ronald Reagan's 11th Commandment: "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican."
15 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
wilarrbie 5/5/2026 11:16:42 AM (No. 2100834)
Perhaps we will have multiple good R conservatives to choose from, unlike past clothespin elections. (with exception to '24s hands down option!)
11 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
seamusm 5/5/2026 11:18:06 AM (No. 2100836)
It'll certainly be a heady horse race twixt DeSantis, Rubio, and Vance.
20 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
Citoyen 5/5/2026 11:34:16 AM (No. 2100846)
Ron DeSantis was never "Trump's foe." He ran in 2024 because he thought he could win based upon the excellent job he had done and was doing as governor of Florida. I could never understand the disdain and paranoia that a few minor pundits threw his way. Somehow I missed DeSantis throwing his lot with the repugnant Lincoln Project. It is beyond silly that DeSantis does not want to make America great again.
16 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
bpl40 5/5/2026 11:34:50 AM (No. 2100847)
He has yet prove he is not controlled by Wall Street Globalists and the Bushes.
17 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
stablemoney 5/5/2026 11:36:05 AM (No. 2100849)
DeSantis has delivered and will be in the race. I hope Trump gives him a position, when his term of Governor expires.
15 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Strike3 5/5/2026 11:44:04 AM (No. 2100854)
Donald Trump may have been having fun with his republican opponents but none of it was the bitter hatred that democrats practice. DeSantis, Rubio, all of them shared in the fun.
9 people like this.
With the two other great candidates we have, Vance and Rubio, his best fit may be as a Supreme Court Justice. He would be a great one!
15 people like this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
JHHolliday 5/5/2026 11:58:00 AM (No. 2100860)
I would vote for any of them including J.D. He will also be the sitting VP and that will help him. I know, I know, Kamala, but she was one of the worst candidates for POTUS at least in my lifetime. This country dodged two bullets. The one that nicked Trump and a Kamala presidency.
8 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
Ditto1958 5/5/2026 11:59:24 AM (No. 2100862)
I like what he’s doing in FL, but I don’t think he’s gonna get people out to vote for him for president
13 people like this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
hoopsfan 5/5/2026 12:00:26 PM (No. 2100863)
As others have noted, DeSantis, Rubio, and Vance are each strong candidates.
Compare this to the Democrat bench. Kamala? Newsome? Ocasio-Cortez?
Not a single impressive candidate at this point.
10 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
DA717 5/5/2026 12:04:17 PM (No. 2100866)
#7 "He has yet prove he is not controlled by Wall Street Globalists and the Bushes."
Seriously. I don't know how much evidence it would take, but the evidence is all over the place.
9 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
Ida Lou Pino 5/5/2026 12:09:18 PM (No. 2100869)
De Santis has been a great governor - - but the dumbest thing he ever did - - was to run against President Trump in 2024.
Methinks Signora De Santis was the moving force behind that stupid decision. If Governor De Santis puts himself forward - - and his wife backward - - I'd be happy to support him.
10 people like this.
DeSantis is a superb governor but when he ran for the Republican nomination in 2024 he fronted for "anti-populist" hedge funders and Never-Trumpers. We'll have to see what develops in 2028.
11 people like this.
Reply 17 - Posted by:
vhs68 5/5/2026 12:26:22 PM (No. 2100878)
NO!!!!!
10 people like this.
Reply 18 - Posted by:
hurricanegirl 5/5/2026 12:47:13 PM (No. 2100891)
Here's my answer to the question in the headline: Not just NO, but HELL NO!
7 people like this.
Reply 19 - Posted by:
Sully 5/5/2026 1:02:24 PM (No. 2100896)
Wow surprised to see the negative Nancies on DeSantis.
He ran against Trump. So what?
We are not dems who protect favored candidates.
Never forget, if it weren't for DeSantis we'd still be wearing masks.
In that whole debacle he proved himself to be smart, independent, and able to push back against the woke tsunami.
Illegals?
Trans?
Taxes?
True election?
If the whole country followed Fla's model it would be awesome.
10 people like this.
Reply 20 - Posted by:
simpleman 5/5/2026 1:03:47 PM (No. 2100897)
... He's got my vote ... DeSantis 2036!
2 people like this.
Reply 21 - Posted by:
klezmer 5/5/2026 1:29:19 PM (No. 2100901)
I live in Florida and really like DeSantis; he has done a fabulous job for us here. I've also become a Rubio fan since watching him in his role as Sec State. Either one would be a fine choice for president.
9 people like this.
Reply 22 - Posted by:
lakerman1 5/5/2026 2:40:45 PM (No. 2100914)
all 3 grew in office, all three are excellent, top candidates for2028 presidential nomination. no one else comes to mind.
4 people like this.
Reply 23 - Posted by:
Fitzroy 5/5/2026 3:30:35 PM (No. 2100927)
My choices in order of preference based on IQ, resume, and gravitas: Rubio, DeSantis, Vance. I would be happy with any of them. Nobody has better conservative bona fides than DeSantis, and it was astonishing to see the partial success of labeling him a Rino in 2024. My biggest disappointment with DeSantis was that his campaign let that label resonate.
2 people like this.
Reply 24 - Posted by:
buckeye1 5/5/2026 3:32:04 PM (No. 2100928)
We do not coronate our nominees. He did no wrong in running in 2024. DJT had to earn his nomination
3 people like this.
Reply 25 - Posted by:
Roscoelewis 5/5/2026 4:00:03 PM (No. 2100948)
I would go for DeSantis, Vance, or Rubio. I would lean toward Vance or Rubio because they have on-the-job experience, in the federal system.
3 people like this.
Reply 26 - Posted by:
Catherine 5/5/2026 4:18:46 PM (No. 2100961)
I really like him and think he's been an excellent governor. However, I'd much prefer JD Vance. He quietly goes about his business and kicks butt where needed. I feel I can trust him. I'm iffy on DeSantis. He made a lot of mistakes when he ran last time.
4 people like this.
Reply 27 - Posted by:
Lucky5 5/5/2026 4:48:53 PM (No. 2100975)
Live in Cali. Liberals here hate him almost as much as Trump. I think it would be a bad idea myself.
1 person likes this.
Reply 28 - Posted by:
Geoman 5/5/2026 5:49:05 PM (No. 2100986)
Populism is not a synonym for conservatism.
0 people like this.
Reply 29 - Posted by:
SALady 5/5/2026 6:08:31 PM (No. 2100995)
All he had to do in 2024 was to be Trump's biggest cheerleader, and he would have been a shoe-in for the nomination in 2028. Instead, he chose to attack President Trump in very personal ways during the primary campaign. Extremely unnecessary and stupid self-inflicted wounds that destroyed his chances of winning the nomination for at least the next couple of elections!!!! MAGA will not trust him after that stunt!!!!
He now needs to be the biggest cheerleader for Vance/Rubio in 2028, and maybe he will have a shot of being the nominee in 2036, though I don't know if his ego will allow that!!!
1 person likes this.
Reply 30 - Posted by:
Venturer 5/5/2026 7:18:16 PM (No. 2101036)
I could vote for Desantis. Vance or Rubio.
1 person likes this.
Reply 31 - Posted by:
YorkieMom 5/5/2026 7:28:02 PM (No. 2101039)
We have 3 great choices as of now: Vance, Rubio, and DeSantis. Remembering the 2016 and 2024 races, all 3 gave as good as they got. Vance seemed to be favoring Hillary. He wised up. After the Trump, Rubio, and DeSantis taunts, they have all embraced each other and made this country better every day since Trump became president. To the posters who say NO to DeSantis, go ahead and vote for Kamala or Newsom. That could be our choices. The CA liberals would never vote for any of our top three, ever, so no Republican has to worry about charming them. Right now, Rubio is really shining imo.
0 people like this.
Reply 32 - Posted by:
Sunhan65 5/6/2026 12:02:07 AM (No. 2101104)
As 49 Ford pointed out at the time, there was a real chance that Donald Trump would be unable to serve as president based on his legal jeopardy. I'm not arguing that legal jeopardy was in any way legitimate. However, you can't run for the presidency from prison. Fortunately, that didn't have to happen. But DeSantis would have been a good alternative if it had.
1 person likes this.
Reply 33 - Posted by:
mifla 5/6/2026 8:52:54 AM (No. 2101236)
In my state, there was an open US Senate position formerly held by a Republican. Two very strong conservatives vied for the job. Instead of sitting down and working things out, they both ran and split the vote. A Dem now holds that seat. Rubio, Vance, and DeSantis are all very capable. Sit down together and do what makes sense. Don't make the mistake of attacking each other - we cannot survive another Dem presidency like Biden's.
1 person likes this.
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We'll see what happens, but one thing is for sure. None of the potential candidates can come close to matching his long list of solid conservative accomplishments.