Ron DeSantis drops US presidential bid

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is ending his campaign for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination and instead endorsing party favorite Donald Trump. The decision comes just two days before New Hampshire holds its second primary.

Ron DeSantis announced his withdrawal in a video posted on X, which included a reportedly misattributed quote from former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Analysts speculate that the motive may be to leave the door open for a future run. Florida Governor DeSantis leaves office in January 2027, just in time for the 2028 presidential election.

Following his second-place finish in Iowa last week, where he lost to Donald Trump by about 30 points, Ron DeSantis commented that there was “no clear path to victory” and that he was therefore withdrawing his candidacy.

– It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance. If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome – more campaign stops, more interviews – I would do it, DeSantis explained.

Vice President DeSantis?

DeSantis, in the context of his withdrawal, has clearly stated that Trump is “a better choice for commander-in-chief” than current President Joe Biden – or the current (and only remaining) Republican runner-up, former South Carolina governor and neoconservative Nikki Haley.

Former biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has also endorsed Trump after suspending his presidential campaign a few weeks ago and finishing fourth in the Iowa caucuses with just 8% of the vote.

Donald Trump has not yet announced his choice for vice president in 2024. Some observers speculate that DeSantis may try to win the post by minimizing his differences with Trump while attacking his strongest Republican rival, Haley. Trump himself did not rule out DeSantis as an option for the VP position when asked about it in an interview last year.