Above video: Desantis announces “State Doge Task Force”
TALLAHASSY, Fla. (AP) — As Florida Governor Ron DeSantis approaches the end of his second term, he is talking about a potential heir to take over him in 2026: his wife, Casey DeSantis. And he has chosen President Donald Trump’s pick as his next governor.
Questioned by a Tampa reporter on Monday, DeSantis promotes his wife as a solid conservative who builds on his legacy, allowing the state’s first lady to draw even more voters than he does. He insisted. DeSantis won a dominant reelection victory in 2022 with a margin of nearly 20 points.
Desantis announces the “Provincial Doge Task Force”
“I think she’s someone with a fortitude in the gut and a dedication to conservative principles,” DeSantis said of her wife. “Whatever we accomplish, she will be able to take her to the next level.”
The comments come days after the president threw his support behind Byron Donald, a Florida Republican, who was Trump’s prominent agent on the campaign trail and cable news.
“We won in Florida,” DeSantis said Monday. “Man like Byron, he wasn’t part of the victory we’ve been here this past year.”
Desantis’ comments create a potential showdown between the Republican governor and the president who defeated him last year for the Republican presidential nomination. DeSantis, a limited period, ran for president again in 2028 and has worked to rebuild his relationship with Trump.
The aspirations of the state’s first lady have long been the subject of the Tallahassee Parler story. The chatter has grown in recent weeks as tensions have risen between the governor of Florida State Legislature and Trump’s allies.
“Byron Donald will be a truly great and powerful governor for Florida. If he decides to run, he will have my full and full support,” Trump wrote Thursday on social media. “Run, Byron, Run!”
Donald’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. He attended a conservative political action meeting after Trump’s post last week, telling his audience to “keep waiting” about his future plans.
Another stubborn Trump ally, former US Rep. Matt Getz, criticised Desantis’ comments on earlier Twitter in an X post.
“To see this hurts me,” Goetz said. “Governor DeSantis, you (Donald) and I don’t remember when we worked together to elect you in 2018? We were literally your debate preparation team.”
