TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Could Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis become the face of the Republican party come 2024? Rep. Matt Gaetz thinks so.
With mystery looming over former President Donald Trump's political future, those who lean to the right of the political spectrum are taking account of who could be key to helping regain the White House.
Gaetz, who represents counties in Florida's panhandle in Congress, alluded to DeSantis' future presidential run while discussing a report of the Biden administration looking into a new domestic travel policy for Americans.
The Biden administration has dismissed those reports, according to Reuters.
“What Ron DeSantis didn’t say, but which is the truth, is that the Biden folks know that if Donald Trump is not the candidate in 2024 the leader of our movement will be Ron DeSantis," Gaetz said during an interview with Fox News.
The congressman added that he was proud of his friend and governor for his response to the notion of restricting free travel within the country. It's a topic that DeSantis has repetitively had choice words for; calling it an attack on Florida.
“There’s no basis in medical, there’s no basis in economics, there’s no basis, in reality, to do this except to punish a state that is doing it better than what his experts have recommended," DeSantis reiterated to Fox News this weekend.
The governor also called Biden and his administration "lockdowners" and said they will "not be able to get away with targeting Florida."
It's responses like this that have Gaetz convinced that DeSantis would make a great presidential candidate. He says it's something the Biden administration can see too.
"He is a strong potential presidential candidate in 2024. The Biden team knows that and so they’re trying to somehow cast aspersions on the Florida experience," Gaetz added.
DeSantis is up for re-election in 2022 in Florida's gubernatorial race. 10 Tampa Bay has reached out to the governor's office for comment on a potential 2024 presidential run.
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