Post New Article

Ron DeSantis making moves for 2028 White
House bid — but will MAGA embrace Trump’s
former foe?

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.

Comments:

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.

Post Reply

Reminder: “WE ARE A SALON AND NOT A SALOON”

Your thoughts, comments, and ideas are always welcome here. But we ask you to please be mindful and respectful. Threatening or crude language doesn't persuade anybody and makes the conversation less enjoyable for fellow L.Dotters.


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.

Reply 3 - Posted by: enemyofthestate 5/5/2026 11:11:47 AM (No. 2100828)
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.

Reply 10 - Posted by: 68BattleofBealeVet 5/5/2026 11:53:49 AM (No. 2100858)
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.

Reply 16 - Posted by: J. Arthur Brown 5/5/2026 12:10:30 PM (No. 2100870)
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.

Below, you will find ...
Most Recent Articles posted by "DA717"
and
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
Most Recent Articles posted by DA717"
Ron DeSantis making moves for 2028 White
House bid — but will MAGA embrace Trump’s
former foe?
33 replies
Posted by DA717 5/5/2026 11:00:28 AM Post Reply
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.
Most Active Articles (last 48 hours)
UnitedHealthcare Learns You Can’t Fix
Stupid, Fires Social Media Manager Over
Trump Post
21 replies
Posted by Hazymac 5/6/2026 6:36:11 AM Post Reply
When my kids were very young, one of the first words that we banned was “stupid.” No one is stupid, I would tell them; some people just don’t think things through. Well, to borrow from that explanation, I probably didn’t think that all the way through. While I don’t regret teaching the kids not to use “the S word,” as we used to call it, the older I’ve gotten, I’ve had to face the reality that, yes, some people who otherwise are of sound mind are just stupid. Nowhere is this more evident than on social media. The latest example is a social media manager, of all things,
YES YOU CAN Support Obama’s Hideous
Vanity Complex With These Inspiring Gift
Shop Items
20 replies
Posted by ConservativeYankee 5/7/2026 7:34:17 AM Post Reply
The Barack Obama Presidential Center won't be open to the public for another few weeks, but the gift shop is already up and running. All proceeds will support the Obama Foundation and its mission to "inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world." The foundation is also responsible for funding and operating the new presidential center, which has been described as a "hideous eyesore" befitting the colossal vanity of a tinpot dictator. So, what are you waiting for? You can help fund Obama's brutalist monstrosity right now by purchasing some of the inspiring items for sale on the center's website. This gorgeous lapel pin ($30) This "unique accessory" was designed
Dem representative admits to working with
Mexico to sneak oil into Cuba, despite blockade
17 replies
Posted by Hazymac 5/7/2026 8:26:53 AM Post Reply
A Democratic lawmaker is drawing backlash after saying she spoke with foreign ambassadors about getting oil to Cuba despite U.S. sanctions, defending the outreach as "literally our right and responsibility." Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., made the remarks during a recent Seattle briefing following a congressional delegation trip to Cuba, where she discussed the island’s worsening fuel shortages and U.S. policy toward the communist regime. "I was in conversations with the ambassadors from Mexico and some other places … trying to figure out how to get oil there," Jayapal said during the briefing, calling the situation on the island "a crisis beyond imagination." Jayapal said the event was
Ted Turner, Maverick Mogul and CNN Founder,
Dies at 87
16 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 5/6/2026 10:54:37 AM Post Reply
Ted Turner, the media visionary who forever altered the news business by founding CNN and helped introduce Americans to pay TV by creating cable channels like TNT, Turner Classic Movies and Cartoon Network, has died. He was 87. Turner, who later turned his attention to saving the planet and pushing progressive political causes, died Wednesday, according to a statement from the family released by Turner Enterprises. Turner died peacefully surrounded by his family. He battled Lewy body dementia in recent years.
Prosecutors say arson suspect in Los Angeles'
Palisades Fire was angry 'at the world'
15 replies
Posted by earlybird 5/6/2026 12:09:36 PM Post Reply
The man accused of sparking the deadly Palisades Fire in Los Angeles was upset that he didn’t have plans for New Year’s Eve and ranted about being angry at the world before the initial blaze was sparked, according to court documents filed by prosecutors.(snip) According to court filings, Rinderknecht ranted to passengers about accused UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione, capitalism and vigilantism. In an interview with investigators on Jan. 24, when asked why someone might commit arson in the Palisades, Rinderknecht “responded that it would be out of resentment of the rich enjoying their money as ‘we’re basically being enslaved by them,’” and again referenced Mangione’s alleged crime, the documents
He Who Laughs Last, Laughs Best 14 replies
Posted by Hazymac 5/7/2026 9:17:39 AM Post Reply
Well, Seattle, like New York, has elected a real extremist as mayor. Katie Wilson, a despicable woman who looks as though she could be Abigail Spanberger’s sister, and as though she uses a broom for transportation, has decided to singlehandedly drive Seattle deeper into liberal hell than it already is. Like Spanberger, Wilson is tough to look at. True, neither is physically attractive, but the major reason for that is the smug, nauseating arrogance that they reek of. Both have stomach-turning smirks that cement their place in the despicable hall of fame. Like Spanberger, Wilson wasted little time instituting the Democrat destruction of the city, and even the liberal rag,
Former Federal Prosecutor: ‘I’d Like
to Prosecute Any Nun Who Still Wears the
Head Habit’
13 replies
Posted by Beardo 5/6/2026 6:41:26 AM Post Reply
Text messages released by the Senate Judiciary Committee show two former federal prosecutors discussing desires to prosecute nuns during investigations of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Joseph Cooney and Molly Gaston, career prosecutors at the Justice Department rather than political appointees, played a role in prosecuting President Donald Trump during former President Joe Biden’s administration. Both were fired shortly after Trump became president a second time and are legal partners at Gaston & Cooney PLLC. Cooney is running for Congress in Virginia.
Barack Obama Said WHAT, Now? You Cannot
Be Serious.
12 replies
Posted by Hazymac 5/7/2026 7:55:45 AM Post Reply
Barack Obama appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Monday night and had the audacity — the actual audacity — to lecture America about presidents misusing the Justice Department. And he did it with a straight face. Obama told Colbert that presidents shouldn't be able to weaponize the DOJ against their enemies. "The White House shouldn't be able to direct the attorney general to go around prosecuting whoever," Obama said. "The idea is that the attorney general is the people's lawyer. It's not the president's consigliere." Just let that sit for a second. The man who appointed Eric Holder as attorney general — the same Eric Holder who publicly called himself
It's Official: The Climate Scam Was a
Scam All Along
12 replies
Posted by Hazymac 5/6/2026 8:37:57 AM Post Reply
It's nice when something you knew was a fraud all along turns out to be a fraud, but it's even nicer when the people perpetrating the fraud admit it was a fraud all along. "The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has just published the next generation of climate scenarios," science policy analyst Roger Pielke Jr wrote late last week, and in what he called "big news," the new framework "eliminated the most extreme scenarios that have dominated climate research over much of the past several decades." So the oceans aren't about to boil off or freeze over or whatever the current scare story is? Exactly: "The IPCC and broader research community
Maine Sen. Susan Collins reveals ‘essential
tremor’ diagnosis: ‘It’s had absolutely
no impact’
11 replies
Posted by ConservativeYankee 5/7/2026 7:28:56 AM Post Reply
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has revealed she has long lived with a benign essential tremor after she launched her re-election campaign for a sixth term in the US Senate. Collins, 73, disclosed the condition — which causes visible shaking in her hands, head and voice — publicly for the first time on Wednesday while she insisted that it has not impacted her ability to serve in office. “I have had it for the entire time that I have served in the United States Senate,” Collins told NEWS CENTER Maine. “It has absolutely no impact on my ability to do my job or on how I feel each
47 is living rent free in 44’s head? 11 replies
Posted by DW626 5/6/2026 8:40:58 AM Post Reply
There is something going on at the Obama household, and it looks like Trump Derangement Syndrome to me. It appears that Mr. & Mrs. Obama have the same problem that so many Democrats have, i.e. too much thinking about Trump. There is a story at The Guardian that I had to share with you today. Here it goes: Barack Obama has offered a rare and candid glimpse into his marriage - and it turns out Donald Trump is causing trouble at home. The former President, 64, admitted in an interview that Michelle wants him to step back from public life so the couple can enjoy their later years together.
Trump: Iran Seeking a Peace Deal and Full
Nuclear Surrender
10 replies
Posted by Dreadnought 5/7/2026 1:58:28 AM Post Reply
Could this be the endgame? On Wednesday, while talking to reporters in the Oval Office, President Trump implied that a deal with Iran was imminent - and stated that they have agreed to give up their nuclear weapons program. The Center Square's Washington, D.C., Bureau Chief, Sarah Roderick-Fitch, has more. During a Wednesday afternoon news conference in the Oval Office, Trump indicated that Iran has agreed not to have a nuclear weapon – a stipulation in a deal between Iran and the U.S. “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and they won’t, and they’ve agreed to that, among other things,” Trump told reporters. The president said a deal
Post New Article