Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has vehemently denied a report by The Washington Post that he is preparing for a 2028 presidential bid and has begun contacting political consultants. DeSantis accused the newspaper of "fabricating this out of whole cloth" in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
"I have not reached out to anybody about running for anything," DeSantis wrote. "Just another pathetic attempt to garner clicks. Using anonymous sources of course!"
The Washington Post report, citing three individuals briefed on DeSantis' plans, stated that the governor was preparing to seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2028. The report also suggested that a federal super PAC linked to DeSantis had sent out a fundraising text earlier in the week. DeSantis, who is term-limited in Florida and cannot run for governor again after 2026, previously mounted an unsuccessful bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination before suspending his campaign in January 2024 and endorsing Donald Trump.
In exchanges on social media, DeSantis responded to users speculating about the report. When one user expressed hope that the reporting was accurate, DeSantis replied, "I'm sorry to disappoint." To another user who suggested consultants might be using his name for attention, DeSantis commented, "Probably the case. But maybe just made up by WaPo."
The governor's comments come shortly after Republicans experienced significant losses in the midterm elections, though Florida remained a bright spot for the party. DeSantis had described the midterm results as "close to an extinction-level event" for Republicans, noting that Florida would be the only one of the nation's 10 most populous states under Republican control of its government. He has previously left the door open to another presidential campaign.