Ron DeSantis stops himself from saying he ‘got elected President’

Florida’s Governor briefly gave himself a promotion during a speech Friday, quickly correcting his slip up.

Gov. Ron DeSantis told a student group at Notre Dame University that when he “got elected Pres …” quickly stopping himself to say he got elected “Governor.”

“Tried that,” he quipped, a reference to his campaign that ended up competing in Iowa alone.

The Governor’s comments weren’t the only political remarks during his speech at the flagship Catholic University. He also found himself having fun with the opposition’s new mascot after Tuesday night’s election results.

He said “the Florida Democratic Party recently changed its mascot and they chose a very beautiful, nice Florida panther. The only problem is: That is an endangered species. But it’s telling because that’s what they’ve become in the Sunshine State.”

Tuesday’s election saw double-digit victories in Florida for President-elect Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, as well as the defeat of amendments legalizing recreational pot and rescinding state abortion laws.

The Governor’s comments in South Bend were actually moderate compared to what he said last year, when he compared the party to roadkill.

“The voters in Florida responded, and what used to be a swing state, you know, now the Democratic Party in Florida is a hollow shell,” he said. “It’s like a dead carcass on the side of the road.”

DeSantis is term limited in 2026, so there is no chance for the party to exact electoral revenge during his term, which saw a massive shift in voter registration from a Democrat advantage to a Republican lead of more than a million voters.

As for running for President?

He has previously suggested he might look at a run in 2028, but that was before Trump was elected to a second term, with soon-to-be Vice President JD Vance a likely candidate as well.