Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will participate in the first Republican presidential primary debate next month, regardless of whether former President Donald Trump also takes the stage.
“I’ll be there regardless,” Mr. DeSantis said during an interview on Fox News on Thursday night. “I hope everybody who’s eligible comes. I think it’s an important part of the process and I look forward to being able to be on the stage and introducing our candidacy and our vision and our leadership to a wide audience.”
The Florida governor faced a question about his debate plans after Mr. Trump, the consistent frontrunner in primary polls, has repeatedly indicated he may not attend the first debate, which Fox News is scheduled to host on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In a June 26 post on his Truth social media account, Mr. Trump suggested Fox News wants him to attend to draw ratings, but that he doesn’t see a need with his current polling lead.
“So FoxNews, which is down 37% in the Ratings, doesn’t cover my getting the ‘Man of the Decade’ Award (because of my great trade policies!) in Michigan, or my Keynote Speech for Faith & Freedom in D.C., and then wants me to show up and get them ratings for their ‘Presidential’ Debate, where I’m leading the field by 40 points. All they do is promote, against all hope, Ron DeSanctimonious, and he’s dropping like a rock. Sorry FoxNews, life doesn’t work that way!!!”
In February, the Republican National Committee also required a loyalty pledge in order for Republican 2024 candidates to qualify for the first primary debate. Trump has similarly suggested he wouldn’t commit to such a requirement, stating that his loyalty commitment “would have to depend on who the nominee was.”
Mr. DeSantis also did not give a direct answer when asked at a June 22 press conference if he would support Mr. Trump if he’s the eventual Republican presidential nominee. Mr. DeSantis instead criticized Mr. Trump, noting the former president had praised his handling of COVID-19 in Florida in 2020 but has since grown critical of Florida’s pandemic response record.
Mr. DeSantis’s comments to Fox News on Thursday night may indicate he’s not prepared to support Mr. Trump or any other Republican candidate for president if he’s not the eventual nominee.
NTD News reached out to the DeSantis campaign for further comment but did not receive a response by the time this article was published.
DeSantis’s Take on 2024 Race
DeSantis has been the consistent second-place candidate in GOP primary polling.
RealClearPolitics currently places Mr. DeSantis’ base of support at 20.9 percent, compared to Mr. Trump’s 53 percent across the polling average. The polling gap had been closer in March, but has expanded throughout the Spring.
When asked during his Fox News interview why his polling numbers haven’t improved since he joined the race, Mr. DeSantis argued a case for his candidacy by way of the people and entities that have attacked him thus far, such as the mainstream media and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
“If you look at the people like the corporate media, who are they going after? Who do they not want to be the nominee? They’re going after me,” Mr. DeSantis said. “Who’s the president of Mexico attacking because he knows we’ll be strong on the border and hold him accountable and the cartels? He’s going after me. So I think if you look at all these people that are responsible for a lot of the ills in our society, they’re targeting me as the person they don’t want to see as the candidate.”
Mr. DeSantis also argued that while his polling has remained fairly stagnant, he’s had great success with fundraising and suggesting that fundraising will go toward a still-growing campaign effort.
“Did you just see the news today about the record fundraising haul we’ve had? Nobody’s been able to match that in the history of modern presidential politics,” Mr. DeSantis said. “So we’ve got a huge amount of support to be able to take the case to the people. We really haven’t started that yet. We’re in the process of building out a great organization and I think we’re going to be on the ground and all these early states.”