Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday that he’d support Donald Trump if the former president were to win the 2024 Republican nomination.
In an interview on Fox News, the Republican presidential hopeful was confronted with the fact that he’d only come in second place in the Iowa caucuses, despite throwing everything he had at winning over voters there.
“If you look at Iowa, you know, we did it right. I mean, we got the endorsement of the governor, we won the debates, … we did televised town halls, you know, got great response,” DeSantis said.
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“But you didn’t win a single county,” host Neil Cavuto interjected. “In 99 counties, you didn’t win a single. You visited them all, to your credit. But you didn’t win a single one.”
DeSantis paused before acknowledging that his campaign had faced an “uphill battle” in Iowa, adding that he was “proud of the effort.”
In the same segment, the Florida governor was asked if he would support Donald Trump, who took first place in the Iowa caucuses, if it “looks like” he’s going to clinch the Republican nomination.
After a long pause and a deep breath, DeSantis said he would, in fact, throw his support behind Trump.
“Well, I signed the pledge,” he said, “I’m never somebody that takes his ball and goes home. And so, that’s just how I am. I mean, I don’t take any of this stuff personally. Cause it’s not about me, it’s about a larger effort, a larger movement.”
