DeSantis: GOP Won’t Nominate Trump if He Is Convicted

Thursday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, said he would not support the GOP nominating former President Donald Trump if he is convicted.

“You did say, Governor, at that August debate when the question was put to the entire panel if Donald Trump is convicted, will you still — and he is the nominee, would you still support him?” co-host Willie Geist said. “And you raised your hand. You’re a lawyer. You served in the Navy. You were well-trained at the greatest schools. Do you really believe that a man who’s convicted of, say, attempting to overturn the 2020 election or taking nuclear secrets back to his beach club, do you actually still, as we sit here today, believe that person should be president?”

“So I signed a pledge, Willie and that pledge is what it is,” DeSantis replied. “Now, do I think somebody under those circumstances could get elected president? The answer is no. That will not happen. I think that Republican voters will understand that as we get closer to voting. But it is — it would be fatal in a general election, and I don’t think the party should — should nominate in that situation. However, you know, I signed the pledge. I’m a Republican. I don’t think it’s going to come to that, and I think we’ll be — we’ll get the job done like we need to, but the reality is I signed it, and that’s what I did.”

“So, you stand by that this morning?” Geist said.

“Yeah,” DeSantis responded. “When I signed the pledge, you know, I knew — you never know what’s going to happen. It’s a crazy process. People make different decisions. And I think my point of view on it was, you know, I’m participating in this process. I’ve got the plan to win. We’re going to win. At the same time, it’s like you can’t just take your ball and go home. You can’t out of the one side of your mouth say, the country’s in decline, Biden is failing and then on the other hand say, you know, I’m just going to pout if things don’t go my way. So, that was kind of my rationale for doing it.”

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