Arizona Republican Kari Lake has delivered a not-so-subtle message to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), saying if he “wants a political future,” he should sit out the 2024 presidential election.
Lake is a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump and is rumored to be in the mix for his running mate. Her comments come on the heels of Trump sharing a post on his Truth Social platform that claims there isn’t “one true Trump supporter” who would vote for DeSantis if he wins the GOP presidential primary.
DeSantis has not made an announcement about his 2024 plans, though sources have speculated he may declare his candidacy later this month.
DeSantis has been viewed as Trump’s strongest Republican challenger for 2024 and recently traveled to Japan, South Korea, Israel, and the United Kingdom to bolster his foreign policy credentials. Some of DeSantis’s allies, however, have started to question his readiness and have pointed to his poll numbers slipping in recent weeks as well as a series of self-inflicted wounds that include his fight with Disney as well as the rare rebuke he received Wednesday when part of his agenda, legislation that would have curbed press protections in the Sunshine State, stalled in the state legislature.
Lake expanded on her concerns during a recent podcast with former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani on his radio show. Giuliani and Lake discussed DeSantis’s relationship with the Republican front-runner and said the governor owed his second-term win to Trump’s support. Lake also said DeSantis risked ruining his relationship with Floridians by jumping into a presidential race so soon after winning reelection.
“I think DeSantis’s political career is in trouble if he doesn’t get smart,” Lake said. “He has been an effective governor — there is no double about it. He has been effective. The people just voted him in. Can you imagine if you were just voted in for your second term as mayor of New York and, within weeks, you were already plotting and planning your next [venture]?”
Lake, who lost her gubernatorial race to Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) in November but has yet to concede, added: “All I’m saying is I really believe DeSantis needs to realize that if he wants to have a political future he needs to wait until 2028. I think he could if he does the right thing and handles it. I think if DeSantis was to back out now, it would be really smart for him to do that. He’s got a big career ahead of him, and the question is, does he want a big political career? If he does, I think he backs out now and supports Trump wholeheartedly and then continues to run Florida.”
Political analyst David McLaughlin, host of the Kudzu Vine podcast, told the Washington Examiner DeSantis might have already missed his opportunity.
“Given that Ron DeSantis’s poll numbers are dropping faster than a boat on Disney’s Splash Mountain ride, I doubt he even runs,” McLaughlin said. “Threats like this can only add to his motivation to skip a 2024 run.”
He added that if a candidate in either party loses “even a percent of support in the five to six states in play, it could make the difference, but in this era of negative partisanship, I am not sure how much participation a candidate boycott would get without a third-party MAGA candidate.”
While Lake’s name has been floated as a vice presidential contender, there are also rumors she could be eyeing a Senate run and is leaning in on raising her national profile. Much of her popularity comes from her cozy relationship with Trump, whom she has wholeheartedly supported and unabashedly defended.
Lake was spotted at Mar-a-Lago in April and photographed on a yacht owned by socialite Kim Glaser. She was also spotted chatting it up with Caitlyn Jenner and posing with former child star Ricky Schroder.
Lake downplayed the idea of being Trump’s running mate on Kimberly Guilfoyle’s eponymous Rumble show, saying she was still focused on challenging the outcome of the Arizona governor’s race.
“Once it runs through the courts, then I’ll make my next move, and hopefully, my next move is moving into the governor’s office,” she said. “But if for some reason it’s so far gone, then I certainly will look at the Senate race.”
