Endorsing Ron DeSantis for Florida Governor was not a “mistake,” former President Donald Trump told the Daily Caller.
“If Ron DeSantis is such a fraud, why did you endorse him for governor? Did you make a mistake?” Daily Caller’s White House Correspondent Diana Glebova asked Trump at CPAC Saturday.
Me for @DailyCaller :
“If Ron DeSantis is such a fraud, why did you endorse him for governor? Did you make a mistake?”Trump: “I’m very happy I endorsed him for governor…” pic.twitter.com/ocSPAKntEU
— Diana Glebova (@DianaGlebova) March 4, 2023
“I’m very happy I endorsed him for governor, because the alternative would’ve been very bad. He was a disaster as it turned out — the alternative would’ve been very bad. Florida’s doing — Florida’s done well for a long time, and I’m very happy about that,” Trump responded.
Trump also told reporters it was “too soon” to tell if he would offer DeSantis a vice presidential spot on his 2024 ticket.
“I’ve always had a great relationship with Ron. I was the one that made it possible for him to win. He was in a very low number and after I endorsed him, he went up by a lot and he asked me to do that. I’ve always had a good relationship with him. But it’s much too early to talk,” Trump said.
DeSantis has not announced a 2024 run, but the former president has issued an onslaught of criticism against the governor, calling him “DeScantimonious,” and saying it would be a “mistake.”
A reporter asked Trump during the press gaggle if DeSantis should run in 2024 or “sit this one out.”
“That’s up to him. He wouldn’t have been elected if it weren’t for me. But that’s up to him,” Trump said.