Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested Republican officials not nominate President Trump if he’s convicted
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested former President Donald Trump should be removed from the GOP primary if he is convicted in any of the cases against him.
“Do I think somebody under those circumstances could get elected president? The answer is no,” Mr. DeSantis told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Thursday. “That will not happen. I think that Republican voters will understand that as we get closer to voting. But it is—it would be fatal in a general election, and I don’t think the party should—should nominate in that situation.”
The governor, who is behind President Trump in the polls by double-digits, said that the former president would be defeated in 2024 if he’s convicted and becomes the GOP nominee. However, he said he would stand by his pledge to back the nominee the party chooses.
“I signed the pledge. I’m a Republican. I don’t think it’s going to come to that, and I think we’ll be—we’ll get the job done like we need to, but the reality is I signed it, and that’s what I did,” Mr. DeSantis said.
“When I signed the pledge, you know, I knew … you never know what’s going to happen,” he added. “It’s a crazy process. People make different decisions. And I think my point of view on it was, you know, I’m participating in this process. I’ve got the plan to win. We’re going to win.”
In the interview, the governor said he believes the multiple indictments against President Trump have energized the former president’s base and “sucked the oxygen” away from Republican challengers.
“When we got into the race, we were bracing for these indictments. I think it’s helped him. I think it sucked out the oxygen. We knew it was going to be a brutal summer,” Mr. DeSantis said. “All those cases have actually helped him, because I think it has rallied support, because I think people are sympathetic.”
