Trump Is Considering Making DeSantis His VP: 'He's Listening'

Donald Trump is considering making Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis his potential ticket mate in the 2024 presidential election, a report has claimed.

The New York Post's Page Six reported that some in Trump's inner circle are encouraging the former president to make DeSantis his vice president and that the real estate mogul is "listening" to the idea. International Business Times could not independently verify this information.

"Some of his supporters are suggesting he make a deal with DeSantis to make him VP, and he's listening, but hasn't agreed," an unnamed Trumpworld source told the outlet.

"Supporters say the VP offer [would] stop DeSantis from opposing [Trump] and offer a 'youthful conservative vigor' to the slot, which Biden doesn't have," the insider claimed.

But the source said there is no deal yet. The insider claimed that DeSantis aims to raise funds and test the waters but that his ultimate goal is a 2028 presidential run after Trump wins or loses, with or without him as a running mate.

However, some of the governor's key donors are reportedly eager for a partnership between the two, the source added.

The relationship between the two political figures has been fraught, with Trump saying in interviews that he is "disappointed" with DeSantis and even calling him "Ron DeSanctimonious."

"Look, right now, I'm very down on him ... I'm very disappointed in him because I'm a loyal person, maybe to a fault," Trump said in an interview with Greg Kelly on Newsmax.

He continued, "I'm a loyal person, and somebody gets you into office and then you're telling people, 'Well, I don't know if I'll run against the president' ... You know, I mean, life shouldn't have to work that way, but it does, and that's OK, too."

In an interview with Newsmax in March, DeSantis ruled out being Trump's vice president, saying that he's "more of an executive guy."

"I think that you want to be able to do things," DeSantis said, adding that it's one of the reasons he won as Florida governor and "probably what I'm most suited for."

In the same interview, although DeSantis continued to dodge questions about Trump, he denied the former president and his loyal supporters' accusations that he's a "RINO" (Republican In Name Only), insisting that there "hasn't been a bolder governor in the country" than him on conservative issues.

The legislative session of Florida will wrap up in May, and DeSantis is expected to make a decision on a 2024 presidential run by then. For now, as Florida governor, he is expected to champion conservative priority legislations which he can parlay if and when he decides to run for the White House.

A Tuesday poll showed that while 58% of potential Republican primary voters support Trump, 21% of respondents said that they would choose DeSantis, far behind the former president's numbers but still a sizable proportion.