Ron DeSantis is reportedly seeking an off-ramp from his 2024 campaign after a disappointing performance in Iowa – buoyed by Trump supporters’ pledge to back him in 2028.
The Florida governor spent most of his resources in Iowa, but finished 30 points behind Trump. He has largely ignored New Hampshire, which votes Tuesday and could see Nikki Haley defeat Trump.
Instead, he has sought to revive his candidacy ahead of the Republican Party’s Feb. 24 primary in South Carolina, Haley’s home state.
DeSantis’ efforts suffered another blow Friday evening when former presidential candidate Tim Scott — a senator for South Carolina — endorsed Trump.
The New York Times suggested that DeSantis is looking to “off-ramp” his campaign.
Ron DeSantis is seen on the campaign trail in New Hampshire on Friday
Senator Tim Scott appeared on stage with Donald Trump in Concord, New Hampshire, on Friday evening to endorse the former president’s race for the Republican nomination
Trump spoke warmly about Scott even before dropping out of the 2024 race, prompting frequent speculation that the South Carolina senator could be his VP pick
DeSantis, 45, has adopted a more self-reflective and conciliatory tone in recent days, suggesting he may have accepted that 2024 will not be his year.
“Look, my goal is to win the nomination. If we had won Iowa, we would have been in a great spot,” DeSantis said in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday.
“I don’t want to be vice president, I don’t want to be in the Cabinet, I don’t want a TV show.
‘I’m in it to win, and if at some point that doesn’t work out for you, I recognize that. This is not vanity for me.’
He admitted to Hewitt that his campaign strategy may have been flawed, and admitted that Trump’s strategy was successful.
“Obviously, if you win Iowa by the amount he won, that’s what you want to do if you’re going to win the nomination,” he said.
DeSantis said focusing on Fox News and ignoring other networks may have been a mistake.
“I should have just blanketed, I should have gone to all the company shows, I should have gone to everything.
“We had an opportunity, I think, to come out of the gate and do that and reach a much broader population.”
DeSantis has also publicly reflected in recent days on the sentiment among Trump supporters he met during his campaign and their pledge to vote for him in the next cycle.
DeSantis said Tuesday in South Carolina that Trump voters in Iowa had told him they would support him in four years.
“They came to me and said, ‘We want you in 2028, we love you, man,’” he said.
DeSantis said Donald Trump’s supporters in Iowa have pledged to support him in 2028, he said
He told a similar story on NBC News.
“People came up to me and said, ‘I love you, man. This time I’m going to do Trump and next time you,” he said.
“That’s not what I wanted to hear, but by being there we made an impression and that’s important.”
DeSantis’ campaign spokesman insisted their candidate remained in the race.
Andrew Romeo, the DeSantis campaign’s communications director, said DeSantis was in the race “for the long haul,” across South Carolina and beyond.
DailyMail.com has contacted the DeSantis campaign for comment.