A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis is here to stay until the end of 2026.
That was made clear when he appointed Attorney General Ashley Moody to the U.S. Senate, pending Marco Rubio’s confirmation as Secretary of State next week. And he made it even clearer during a four-minute answer to a question about whether he had any interest in being Defense Secretary, should current nominee Pete Hegseth not be confirmed.
“I never asked for anything and I’m not in a position where I’m being offered anything. So we’ll keep the fight going,” DeSantis said in Orlando when asked if he would be “happier in a national role.”
“What I’ve said is: How can you be the most impactful? Is there another Governor in the country that has been more impactful over the last six years?” he rhetorically asked to applause.
He recounted accomplishments and reiterated his desire to stay in the Sunshine State.
“We’ve delivered big results. Ultimately, the question is: Are you making a big impact for the people that you represent? I’m not saying Florida Governor is the maximum impact you could possibly have in elected office, but it’s pretty darn close,” DeSantis said.
In November 2023, DeSantis said he could do more for Florida as President than as Governor.
“I will be able to do, you know, more for Florida as the President than I can in two years as Governor, but also more for the country,” DeSantis said when he was running for President.
The Governor was talked up as a potential backup Defense Secretary nominee when Hegseth was encountering reputational difficulties and bad news cycles. Conversations between Trump and DeSantis were said to be in advanced stages. But Hegseth appears to have weathered the storm.
During comments Thursday, DeSantis again dismissed “people speculating” that he would “appoint himself to the United States Senate,” saying “anyone who spent five minutes with” him “would realize the answer is no.”
