Jeb Bush envisions Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) “will be a formidable” contender in 2024 should he throw his hat into the ring.
Although conditioning that he has not endorsed anyone, Bush dubbed himself a “Ron DeSantis fan” and lavished praise on his stewardship over Florida, a state he ran as governor from 1999 to 2007.
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“He will be a formidable candidate if he runs, for lots of reasons,” Bush told Fox News’s Neil Cavuto in an interview Thursday. “But the reason why I’m a Ron DeSantis fan is he’s governed effectively in the state that I love. He’s been a really good governor.”
If DeSantis follows in Bush’s footsteps venturing from Florida governor to presidential hopeful, he could similarly square off with former President Donald Trump. Both Trump and DeSantis have consistently polled as top contenders in a hypothetical 2024 matchup. Neither Trump nor DeSantis has formally declared a presidential campaign, though Trump has teased another run. For now, DeSantis says he is focused on winning reelection as governor.
Bush had served as a favorite political punching bag for Trump during the 2016 campaign, and he was subject to frequent mockery and disparagement from him. Trump recently reignited his beef with the Bush family during a rally, claiming that Bush’s late father, former President George H.W. Bush took presidential materials to a Chinese bowling alley/restaurant.
The National Archives and Records Administration subsequently denounced the claim as “false and misleading.” Independent fact checkers similarly dunked on the claim, clarifying that the National Archives reviewed the elder Bush’s documents at a facility that was once a restaurant/bowling alley while his library was being developed.
“Bless his heart. I mean, this is kind of a weird accusation,” Bush said about Trump’s remarks. “I think the added little feature of the Chinese restaurant [that] kind of makes it all easier for the conspiratorialists to get hot and bothered.”
Government officials seized troves of presidential documents, including hundreds with classified markings, in an August raid of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
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Trump has denied wrongdoing, insisting he declassified the material and adding a president can declassify material “even by thinking about it.” The Justice Department is evaluating possible obstruction of justice and violations of the Espionage Act in its Mar-a-Lago investigation, per court documents.
“I think what [Trump] wants to say is, ‘there — everybody does it,’ basically. Everybody takes documents and stores them at their hotel or in a bowling alley, and that he didn’t do anything wrong,” Bush surmised.
