Trump anointed Vance as MAGA crown prince — but DeSantis isn’t going away

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Ron DeSantis still wants to be president. And he won’t let JD Vance stand in his way.

Even after the Florida governor's presidential campaign crashed and burned, those close to the governor expect him to mount another bid for the White House. The Ohio senator’s elevation as former President Donald Trump’s running mate complicates DeSantis' political future, should the GOP ticket win in November and Vance inherits the support of the Trump wing of the GOP.

DeSantis could face an uphill battle if he wants to run against Vance, several prominent Republicans said. The two have fairly similar biographies: Vance is 40 — nearly six years younger than the Florida governor — and also has a law degree from an Ivy League school, served in the military and has a photogenic wife and three young kids. The difference would be the platform: In 2028, Vance could be vice president, while DeSantis would be two years out of office.

But allies of the governor say he is undeterred. “JD Vance being vice president does not change Ron DeSantis’ calculus for 2028 one way or the other,” said a Republican consultant and DeSantis supporter who was granted anonymity to speak freely.

The prospect that DeSantis could run in four years was reinforced during the recent Republican convention in Milwaukee, where the governor and his allies made not particularly subtle moves potentially positioning him for a political future beyond his final two years in office.

During the Republican National Convention, Restore our Nation (RON) — a political committee rechristened from DeSantis’ former presidential campaign — blasted out text and emails urging supporters to donate to help elect Trump and to watch DeSantis give his main-stage, prime-time speech. DeSantis also touted this record during various appearances on the sidelines in Milwaukee — to widespread applause — signaling he still has major appeal among Trump’s base.

DeSantis addressed the Republican Party of Florida and Moms for Liberty, and was a featured speaker at a luncheon of Iowa Republicans, where he made it clear he was going to continue leaning into new conservative ideas. On Thursday, he was fundraising for Trump in California and later this month, he’ll attend conservative radio host Erick Erickson’s annual summer gathering of Republican leaders. And RON sent out a text Wednesday heralding the “launch” of the PAC and directing supporters to a sign-up page to join DeSantis to support candidates who promise “energetic, conservative leadership that delivers on its word.”

“We are not going to let you get ahead of us,” DeSantis joked to Iowa Republicans during the GOP convention. “If you guys are doing good things that we haven't done, I'm going to follow through and do it.”

Yet despite DeSantis having been at the forefront of many contentious battles during his five years in office — pushing ahead on controversial stances on gender, sexual identity, race and education that have now found themselves into Trump’s talking points — his path to the presidency is far less clear now than it was two years ago. Entering the 2024 cycle, he was arguably the brightest rising star in the party, romping Democrats in the 2022 midterms and transforming Florida into a test laboratory for a slew of conservative policies.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called that uncertainty ahead of 2028 the “reality” of the political landscape now, should the Trump-Vance ticket win.

“The guy who stands next to the president for eight years — and in this case four years — just has huge psychological advantages,” Gingrich told reporters at the RNC. “They have a simple challenge: They have to deliver. If they deliver they are unbeatable in ‘28.”

Justin Sayfie, a lobbyist for Ballard Partners who supported DeSantis, echoed that sentiment should Trump win the election: “In theory, Trump just basically cemented the next two nominations. The Republicans know who their nominees are going to be through 2036.”

DeSantis, during a recent interview on Newsmax , sidestepped the questions about how the selection of Vance could affect his own political future and whether Vance is now the front-runner for 2028.

“We believe in leading by example, we believe in getting things done,” DeSantis said. “But ultimately you do that by not worrying about elections two, four years plus in advance. You worry about what you can do right now to actually deliver big results.”

One big potential pitfall for DeSantis is that he has only two years left to use his spot as governor to earn him attention and to attract donors. DeSantis is term-limited and will leave office in early 2027. It’s not yet clear whether he can still bring in the large dollar amounts he did for his first run for president, which came after his crushing nearly 20-point reelection victory, once he is on the political sidelines.

“One of the problems DeSantis has is that he has a stutter step,” said Jamie Miller, a Sarasota-based Republican operative and former executive director for the Republican Party of Florida. “Where does he find himself in that two-year period? And during that two-year period he has to start a presidential campaign, so he has to find someplace to land … so it’s not a great predicament for him to be in, because he kind of ends up in no man’s land.”

Another pressing problem for DeSantis is that his own legacy could be undercut if Florida voters approve amendments on the November ballot that guarantee access to abortion and allow the use of recreational marijuana. DeSantis opposes both.

A poll released in late July by the University of North Florida showed that both measures were above the threshold needed to pass.

The abortion amendment in particular — which would undo the state’s current ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy — would serve a major blow to DeSantis, who championed and signed into law strict abortion laws before he launched his presidential bid.

Some of DeSantis’ fiercest critics took glee with the selection of Vance, even as his launch received bipartisan criticism for comments he’s made about people in politics who don’t have children.

"His political future is over, he has no path,” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, who clashed with him repeatedly when she was the state’s agriculture commissioner, said of DeSantis. “I truly don't know where Ron goes from here. And quite honestly ... it couldn’t happen to a nicer person."

DeSantis supporters, however, say Vance’s potential elevation to the second-highest office in the land doesn't automatically make him the next nominee. They point to former Vice President Mike Pence and other vice presidents who have failed to use the position as a springboard to the ultimate prize.

“Vance has got four years of land mines he has to navigate,” said the Republican consultant and DeSantis supporter. “He could be relegated to de minimis roles that cause him to sail off into obscurity and cause voters to look elsewhere. … Voters in the Republican Party want a very bold, aggressive and productive leader and Ron DeSantis is going to continue to be that.”

Another one-time rising Republican star and former governor — Wisconsin’s Scott Walker — said there is still a path. He urged DeSantis to stay active, starting with helping get Trump elected this year by going to campaign stops with him. He said Republicans still admire him.

“He’s young enough it could be four years after that,” Walker said. “It doesn't have to be just in ‘28. But I think people appreciated the good work that he's done. … As a Midwesterner, we appreciate doers more than talkers. And Ron DeSantis is a doer, which is why you got a great response.”