If DeSantis wants a spot in Trump’s Cabinet, he may have to pull a Rubio | Opinion
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ days in the governor’s mansion are numbered — and so are his options.
His recent launch of “Diners, Drive-Ins and DeSantis” — a video series where he visits various Florida restaurants — may be great branding, but it’s not exactly a serious next chapter. How will DeSantis stay politically relevant for the next two years, assuming he tries to run for president in 2028?
One option: join the Trump administration. But that comes with a big question mark. President Trump and DeSantis have been at odds since DeSantis ran unsuccessfully for president. Would Trump consider him for a post within the administration?
Last week, DeSantis had lunch with Trump at his golf course in Doral. According to Axios, Trump is telling people that DeSantis is “begging” Trump for a job.
How embarrassing for the governor. But whether DeSantis was actually begging for a job is beside the point. If he harbors any real hope for 2028, his path probably runs through 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Trump created a Cabinet opening earlier this month with the dismissal of Attorney General Pam Bondi. It’s unclear if DeSantis wants to be attorney general, but Axios reported that he did express interest in becoming secretary of defense or being appointed to the Supreme Court.
Those seem like big asks from a governor who has spent a portion of his second term working to repair his relationship with Trump after the 2024 GOP presidential primary. Positions like attorney general or secretary of war — Pete Hegseth still has that job — require more than political alignment. They require loyalty.
Trump may have forgiven DeSantis but as, one Trump advisor told Axios, “that doesn’t mean people forget.”
If DeSantis does get a role in the administration, he won’t be the first person Trump humiliated and later rewarded. The president nicknamed now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio “Little Marco” during the 2016 presidential primary. Rubio still secured a top Cabinet position. I’ve been critical of Rubio in the past for abandoning some of his principles, but apparently he was employing a survival strategy — and it paid off handsomely. His name is now being tossed around in GOP circles as a 2028 hopeful.
DeSantis could learn a lot from Rubio. Sometimes appointments go to the most trusted, qualifications aside.
But there’s a lot for DeSantis to get past. When the governor launched his 2024 presidential campaign on Twitter, Trump mocked the glitchy roll-out mercilessly and trolled him for over 242 days for everything from his boots to his name, calling him “Ron DeSanctimonious.”
When DeSantis leaves office in January, he’ll need to find a way to stay in the public eye. A job in the Trump administration could keep him in the spotlight. Right now, there isn’t a road to the White House for Republicans in 2028 that doesn’t go through Trump.
DeSantis remains popular in Florida and is still attempting to influence state politics — and please the president — by calling a special session next week for congressional redistricting to try to give the GOP a bigger edge.
DeSantis remains popular in Florida, where Republican gubernatorial candidates are hoping for his endorsement in the primary. He also continues trying to influence state politics — and please the president — by calling a special session next week for congressional redistricting to try to give the GOP a bigger edge.
Despite DeSantis’ statewide popularity and influence, his future isn’t secured — an unsettling reality for any term-limited politician, especially one previously supported by a political action committee named Never Back Down. Now he may have to do just that to survive politically.
Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@miamiherald.com