Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is secretly preparing to announce his run against Donald Trump for the 2024 presidential election, according to his allies.
According to The Washington Post, the Florida Governor said he intends to run for president, but just didn’t say it publicly.
DeSantis headed to Davenport, Iowa, on Friday, another strong signal he intends to run, as the Post reports.
The Florida Governor will head to Nevada on Saturday, where Republican candidate Nikki Haley already held a town hall.
According to sources, DeSantis will finish Florida’s legislative session in May before making any announcement about running.
DeSantis has also gained support from a former Trump official.
On Thursday, Ken Cuccinelli launched a new political action committee while calling for DeSantis to run, The Rolling Stone reported.
“I have been speaking to many grassroots conservative activists around the country who are very enthusiastic for Governor DeSantis to run for president in 2024,” Cuccinelli said in a statement.
“The energy is there, grassroots conservatives see the governor as a leader and a fighter with a winning conservative track record who will lead the Republican Party to victory in 2024. Based on those conversations, I am most confident that we will build an unmatched grassroots political army for Governor DeSantis to help carry him to the White House,” he added.
For months, speculation has been swirling about whether DeSantis will run against Trump or not.
In recent weeks, DeSantis released his book, “The Courage to be Free,” another well-known strategy used before announcing a presidential run.
Last month, failed Trump challenger Jeb Bush praised the Florida Governor and voiced support for his potential presidential candidacy.
“There are people in public life that are kind of check the box politicians, and then there are others they want to serve, and Governor DeSantis is one of those,” the former Florida governor said.
Bush openly expressed his belief that the governor would be able to succeed in higher office.
“I think it is. He’s been a really effective governor. He’s young. I think we’re on the verge of a generational change in our politics– I kind of hope so,” Bush said.
READ MORE: Harvard Poll: Trump Would Handily Defeat DeSantis If He Decides to Run for President
