Miami Mayor Francis Suarez (R) isn’t ruling out a potential presidential bid, saying he believes Americans are “thirsting” for a new generation of leadership in the White House.
Asked in an interview on “The Carlos Watson Show” set to air Wednesday whether he would run for president, Suarez said that the prospects of a White House bid have become “more possible” since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the stature that big-city mayors have gained.
“I’ll say this, the mayoral position – because of COVID, because of the 24-hour news cycle, because of social media – it’s been elevated,” Suarez told Watson, the co-founder and CEO of the media company OZY.
“People know national mayors a lot more than they did, you know, a generation ago, and so I think it becomes more possible,” he added.
Suarez, 42, also said there’s an appetite among Americans for a new generation of leadership in Washington. President Biden, 78, became the oldest person to be sworn into the White House in January, while his predecessor, former President Trump, was 70 when he took office, making him the second oldest.
“I’ll be honest with you, I actually think the American people would want to see someone that’s a next-generation candidate, whether it’s me or someone else,” Suarez told Watson. “I really do think that people are thirsting for that.”
Suarez, the son of former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez, has attracted national attention over the past year, stoking speculation about his future political ambitions. He met with former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley in April — a sit down that was reportedly intended to vet Suarez’s interest as a potential running mate in 2024.
The Miami mayor has also been critical at times of other Republican heavyweights, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Trump, both of whom are also believed to be eyeing presidential runs in 2024.