Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has expressed interest in serving as secretary of defense in President Donald Trump’s administration if offered the position, two people close to DeSantis told CNN.
DeSantis is one of the few people Trump has floated to replace struggling candidate Pete Hegseth.
President Trump’s consideration of DeSantis for defense secretary, and the Florida governor’s subsequent interest, marks a surprising turn in a relationship that has soured in recent years. President Trump has labeled Mr. DeSantis a disloyal former ally for jumping into the Republican presidential race when it was well known that Mr. DeSantis intended to run again.
President Trump has assembled a team of disgruntled former DeSantis operatives to oversee his third White House bid, including co-campaign manager Susie Wiles, Although it garnered widespread support from members of the state’s congressional delegation, Florida lawmakers often felt ignored. their own governor.
But on Tuesday, Trump and DeSantis both attended a memorial service for the fallen Florida congressman in Palm Beach County. It is rare for the two, who have hardly spoken since the end of the tough primary election, to appear together in public. Sources close to both men told CNN during the day that DeSantis also discussed the possibility of Mr. DeSantis replacing Mr. Hegseth as Mr. Trump’s secretary of defense should the former Fox News host ultimately fail. They said they had talked.
As recently as last month, DeSantis dismissed questions about his work in the Trump administration. In a speech at Notre Dame shortly after Trump’s victory, he said Trump “has a lot of great people to choose from…I don’t want anything.” I have a great job in the state of Florida. ”
“How can we make a difference?” DeSantis said. “Given our position, being the quarterback for the Sunshine State is probably the way I can make the biggest difference.”
But the Republican political calculus has shifted in recent weeks as President Trump asserted his advantage over states led by DeSantis. President Trump has filled his government with Florida nominees in recent weeks, leaving DeSantis to deal with the political fallout as he faces pressure from Trump’s allies to follow the president-elect’s orders. This includes the public’s push to nominate President Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, to replace Sen. Marco Rubio, who has been nominated for secretary of state.
DeSantis also still harbors ambitions to run for president again, but for now he is President Trump’s running mate and likely successor in 2028 to lead the next generation of the MAGA movement in Ohio. That outlook appears to be clouded by Sen. J.D. Vance. With years left until the end of his second and final term as Florida’s lame-duck governor, DeSantis will serve as governor with no clear path to maintaining his presence in President Trump’s Republican Party. I feel more and more secure in this idea. In the Trump administration.
Still, it’s unclear whether DeSantis is the frontrunner to replace Hesges. Many of the president-elect’s key advisers still have poor relationships with the Florida governor and have enough influence to influence President Trump to promote DeSantis to such a key position. To this day, DeSantis supporters frequently clash online with MAGA influencers over President Trump’s vast world of X. And unlike other Republicans, Mr. DeSantis has rarely publicly supported Mr. Trump’s bid to win the hotly contested White House, and the two have even been on opposing sides in the campaign. Florida referendum to legalize marijuana.
This post has been updated with additional details.
