Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis has pushed back against the prospect of joining former President Donald Trump on the VP ticket after the GOP frontrunner confirmed DeSantis was on the shortlist.
“People were mentioning me [as a potential vice president]. I am not doing that,” DeSantis said in a call with delegates.
The Florida Governor also indicated that Trump was seeking a running mate based on criteria that didn’t align with his own considerations.
“So you need someone who can just go in, day one, no problem, they can do the job,” he said.
“I’m not sure that those are necessarily going to be the criteria that Donald Trump uses. I think he’s going to probably use different criteria.”
“I’ve heard that they are looking more at identity politics,” he added.
“I think that’s a mistake. I think you should just focus on who you think the best person for the job would be,” he continued.
Trump confirmed that DeSantis was on his VP shortlist during a town hall in South Carolina this week.
Host Laura Ingraham listed prospective candidates, including:
DeSantis
Vivek Ramaswamy
Tim Scott
Kristi Noem
Tulsi Gabbard
Byron Donalds
“Are they all on your shortlist?” Ingraham asked.
“They are,” Trump responded.
“The VP choice has absolutely no impact. It’s whoever the president is,” Trump said.
“You would like to get somebody that could help you from the voter standpoint and honestly, all of those people are good. They’re all good. They’re all solid.”
Last week, Trump met with former Democrat Tulsi Gabbard to discuss strategies for the Department of Defense for his potential second term.
The meeting explored alternative management approaches for the DoD should Trump reclaim the White House in 2024.
Despite coming from opposing political parties, Trump and Gabbard have enjoyed a mutually supportive dynamic.
READ: Trump Gives Mitch McConnell Brutal Reality Check from Town Hall Stage
