Free Republic

Former President Donald Trump has confirmed that six Republicans are on his shortlist for a potential running mate and vice president at a town hall on Monday. In his first hint at who could be his Vice President if he wins the election in November, Trump's list included two former opponents and an ex-Democrat. Trump, 77, confirmed Florida Governor and one-time foil Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina are all among the ex-rivals being considered. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, Florida Republican Byron Donalds, and former Democrat Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard are on his shortlist....

In a Saturday Town Hall in Laconia, New Hampshire, Florida Governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis called out former President Donald J. Trump for his post on Truth Social saying the FBI should stay in D.C. and be given a "new and spectacular building." SNIP>>>>> It appears that DeSantis is intent on bringing the necessary fire to his opponents ahead of the January 23 primary in the state. DeSantis was joined by Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who introduced him and gave his reasons why he endorses DeSantis for President. The rest of the Town Hall and the governor's response to...

Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is living in an alternate universe. Once considered one of the Republican Party’s rising stars, Haley is becoming more and more out of touch with her party as her long-shot presidential campaign drags on. ... DeSantis correctly called out Haley’s long record of cultural liberalism, including her veto of a bill in South Carolina that would have prevented biological men from using women’s bathrooms. “They had a bill to try to say that men shouldn’t go into girls’ bathrooms, and she killed that bill, and she bragged that she killed that bill — even...

Fewer than 1 in 10 Iowans believe the Florida Governor is the best bet to deal with the current threat. Gov. Ron DeSantis has messaged heavily around the state response in the weeks since Hamas attacked Israeli citizens. But new polling from a key early state in the presidential race suggests that message may be hitting deaf ears. The Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll conducted from Oct. 22 to Oct. 26 shows that just 9% of likely Hawkeye State caucus participants believe the Florida Governor is the best bet in the GOP field to address the situation in the...

The 2024 hopeful told podcaster Patrick Bet-David that his cowboy boots were 'just standard, off the rack Lucchese' and that he stood at 5'11'' But a trio of expert shoemakers have come forward to say he is using lifts to make himself look taller. Politico Magazine on Tuesday gave what had been merely online speculation some legitimacy, with all three boot and shoemakers pointing out how the odd fit of the candidate's boots likely means he's getting a boost. (comments by 3 boot makers/experts) DeSantis' spokesman Bryan Griffin did not appreciate Politico Magazine's investigation. Griffin said. 'The governor doesn't pad...

California governor Gavin Newsom mocked Florida governor Ron DeSantis on live television for taking the “bait” in debating him while calling DeSantis a “distracted” candidate. “Why is he doing it? That’s the right question. He’s running — I think, I’m not sure after tonight — but currently he’s running for president of the United States,” Newsom said in an interview Wednesday. The California governor’s remarks come on the heels of the second GOP debate, in Simi Valley, Calif., where he said he wasn’t particularly impressed with DeSantis or the rest of the Republican presidential field. Newsom attended the event. Newsom...

For reasons mysterious to the rational human mind, Fox News and the Republican National Committee decided to subject Americans to the most bizarre public spectacle in recent memory. It was stupid. It was strange. It was the second Republican presidential primary debate, which began with British-American Stuart Varney having a seizure while attempting to introduce his Univision cohost Ilia Calderón and concluded with Dana Perino asking the contestants who should be “voted off the island.” “Leading the charge, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis dismissed the question outright,” The Independent reported. “I’m not going to do that, with all due respect, we’re...

Only two questions mattered going into Wednesday night’s GOP primary debate. Number one: Would any one viable candidate stand out among the crowd? Number two: If the answer to the first was “Yes,” would our champion distinguish themselves by acting as the absent Donald Trump’s proxy or by setting up a favorable contrast with the frontrunner? Trump’s decision to sit out the first forum of the 2024 primary season has been cast as a cautious, cowardly decision. It was undoubtedly the latter, but despite the illusion of political safety, the choice also came with considerable risks. If another candidate was...

Here is Jake Tapper's interview with Governor Ron DeSantis earlier today. In this, he speaks at length about the persecution of Trump. And other topics...

GOP presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Saturday that he'd consider Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds as a potential running mate if he wins the Republican nomination. She appears to have other plans. But Reynolds demurred when asked in an interview Monday morning on Fox News if she'd accept the offer. "I am so focused," she told Fox News' Ainsley Earhardt. "I'm busy working on being the governor of the great state of Iowa."

cardillo/unofficial team desantis media person published a link to a washpo desantis campaign article.

A great irony that I believe went unobserved and unmentioned, in the recent controversy surrounding Disney, and its fight with Florida governor Ron DeSantis and Republicans in general . . . In the 2020 cycle, America First Action committee was a super PAC dedicated to supporting federal candidates who back the policy agenda of President Donald Trump. When you add up all of the PAC’s donations received in the cycle, and sort the donations by donor employer, the single biggest employer is . . . the Walt Disney Company, at $10.5 million.

FAU's survey is the strongest in-state poll for Trump yet. Another Florida poll shows that Ron DeSantis may have difficulty selling in-state Republicans on his presidential ambitions. A just-released survey from Florida Atlantic University shows former President Donald Trump leading the Florida Governor, 59% to 31%, among 1,081 registered Republican voters in Florida polled in mid-April. That margin is well outside the +/- 3-percentage-point margin of error.

DES MOINES, Iowa – The super PAC promoting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to have dozens of staff in place in the first 18 states on the Republican presidential primary calendar in the coming weeks, a move indicating that his expected 2024 announcement is drawing closer. The plans, shared with The Associated Press, are part of the group Never Back Down's strategy to begin political organizing for DeSantis all the way through Super Tuesday on March 5 and point to a novel approach the super PAC is attempting ahead of a likely DeSantis run. In Iowa, where the leadoff GOP...