DeSantis on presidential run: ‘You either gotta put up or shut up’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said Friday he will make a decision on whether to launch a 2024 presidential bid “relatively soon.”

“I felt very confident going into November ’22 we were gonna do very well, but you really had to put up or shut up on that,” DeSantis said at a news conference marking the end of Florida’s legislative session, referring to his reelection last year.

“I also understood that we had this opportunity here to be able to really, really do a lot of great stuff, and I’ve always said that we’re gonna see this through,” he continued. “What happens in the future? We’ll get on that relatively soon. You either gotta put or shut up on that as well.”

DeSantis is widely expected to launch a bid for the Republican nomination. Reports emerged last month suggesting the former congressman was planning a campaign launch in May or June. However, he later dismissed them as “inaccurate.”

“If there’s any announcements, those will come at the appropriate time. But if anyone’s telling you that somehow they know this or they know that, that’s just inaccurate because there’s not been any decisions made,” DeSantis said. 

He regularly polls in second place in GOP primary surveys, behind only former President Trump. The Florida governor currently sits about 29 points behind the former president, according to a polling average from FiveThirtyEight.

Several other Republicans have launched campaigns to challenge Trump — including former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson — but they have largely failed to gain much traction in the polls. 

Republicans who are also weighing potential campaigns include former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Vice President Mike Pence.