Former President Donald Trump boasted that his endorsement of Ron DeSantis in 2018 is what elevated the latter to become Florida’s governor, claiming he “made” DeSantis into a Republican celebrity, according to recordings of his conversations with New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman.
In an interview with Haberman for her new book, Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America, Trump told the reporter he didn’t believe then-Rep. DeSantis could win the election because “the people of Florida didn’t associate him with the word ‘governor,’” according to an audio clip shared with CNN.
BIDEN AND DESANTIS TO MAKE JOINT APPEARANCE IN FLORIDA
“But, you know, oftentimes you see that, but you don’t say, ‘Oh, he’s going to be governor,’” Trump told Haberman, according to an audio recording of the conversation. “He said, ‘I’d love your endorsement.’ I said, ‘Ron, you’re at 3%. You can’t win.’ He said, ‘If you endorse me, I can.’ And I said, ‘Well, look, you never know, but it’s not going to be easy.’ This guy’s been running for eight years.”
Trump endorsed DeSantis in the GOP primary in December 2017, and DeSantis went on to defeat Democratic nominee Andrew Gillum by 0.4 percentage points in the general election.
Trump has long taken credit for DeSantis’s win, going so far as to tell Newsmax in June that he was “very responsible” for him becoming governor. However, the former president has reportedly become wary of DeSantis’s reputation within the GOP as the Florida governor is seen as a strong contender for the 2024 presidential election.
As a result, DeSantis has become a constant talking point among Trump and his aides, according to Haberman.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“It is a constant, running discussion,” she told CNN. “He definitely helped DeSantis in 2018. But one of the things I explore in Confidence Man is how he believes that if he does something for someone, they owe him fealty for life, including the exclusion of their own future ambitions.”
DeSantis has not announced if he plans to run for president in 2024, noting his campaign team is focused on his reelection bid for Florida governor. The Republican incumbent currently holds a double-digit lead in polling over his Democratic challenger, Charlie Crist, according to the latest polls.
