Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed back Friday against a report that he is considering another run for president in 2028. He accused The Washington Post of inventing claims that he had contacted political consultants about a possible campaign.
“The Washington Post is fabricating this out of whole cloth,” DeSantis wrote on X. “I have not reached out to anybody about running for anything.” He called the report “just another pathetic attempt to garner clicks,” adding that it relied on anonymous sources.
The Post, citing three people briefed on DeSantis’ plans, reported that he was preparing to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2028. The report said he had contacted at least one national political consultant about working on a potential campaign. It also noted that a federal super PAC connected to DeSantis sent a fundraising text earlier this week.
DeSantis continued disputing the account in replies to people on social media. When one user said they hoped the report was true, he responded, “sorry to disappoint.” Another suggested consultants might be invoking his name to draw attention. “Probably the case. But maybe just made up by WaPo,” DeSantis replied.
The questions about DeSantis’ political plans come days after Republicans suffered major losses in the midterm elections, including losing control of both chambers of Congress and several states that have traditionally backed the party.
Florida was a bright spot for Republicans: Byron Donalds won the governor’s race. DeSantis said Wednesday that the party’s losses were “close to an extinction-level event,” and noted that Florida would be the only one of the 10 most populous states with a Republican-controlled government.
DeSantis sought the 2024 Republican presidential nomination but ended his campaign in January of that year, after the Iowa caucuses, and endorsed Donald Trump. He has previously left open the possibility of running for president again.
