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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis all but confirmed his plans to seek the White House in 2024, saying that if he ran for president, he would defeat Joe Biden.
When asked during an exclusive interview with Piers Morgan, airing Thursday on Fox Nation, if he believed he could defeat Biden in 2024, DeSantis replied, “I think so,” and then explained how he would win the Oval Office.
The Republican governor also added that he would focus his criticisms toward Biden, not his biggest competition, President Donald Trump.
“If I were to run, I’m running against Biden,” said DeSantis. “Like we are competing for the Republican, potentially, I get that, but ultimately you know the guy I’m gonna focus on is Biden because I think he’s failed the country. I think the country wants a change. I think they want a fresh start and a new direction, and so we’ll be very vocal about that.”
The Florida governor also suggested that he would win by appealing to voters across the entire political spectrum, citing his 19-point gubernatorial reelection victory in a historically competitive state as a forecast for a nationwide win.
“I won with independents by 18 points, the governor explained. “You can’t just win with Republicans. You’ve gotta win with independents, and you need to convince some of these Democrats, which I was able to do in Florida, because they’re not woke, they don’t like some of the nonsense going on. They want their streets safe, and they want quality education.”
Although he has repeatedly dismissed claims that he is running for president, DeSantis has actively traveled to high-stakes locations in the country. DeSantis visited Iowa, the first state to caucus in the presidential primaries, earlier this month.
DeSantis also told Morgan during their interview that he had not “made a final decision” on a presidential bid, but told him to “stay tuned.”
Gov. DeSantis is reportedly expected to announce his final decision in the late spring after the Florida state legislature closes out its annual session.
