3 minPolitics
DeSantis calls Washington Post report on 2028 bid fabricated
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis denied a Washington Post report that he is preparing a 2028 Republican presidential run, calling it fabricated and built on anonymous sources.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday rejected a Washington Post report that he is quietly preparing a Republican presidential bid for 2028, calling the story fabricated and saying he has not contacted anyone about running.
The Post reported that DeSantis is laying groundwork for a 2028 campaign, citing three people briefed on his plans. According to the newspaper, he has contacted at least one national political consultant, and a federal super PAC tied to him sent a fundraising text this week. The article relied on anonymous sourcing and did not include on-record confirmation from DeSantis or his associates, a point that became central to his response.
DeSantis dismissed the report as a clickbait effort built on unnamed sources. He said he was «sorry to disappoint» a user who had hoped the story was accurate, a remark that signaled his open skepticism of the reporting. Fox News Digital has requested comment from DeSantis's office and from the Post, and neither had responded at the time of publication, so the strength of the newspaper's sourcing remains unconfirmed.
The speculation draws on DeSantis's own presidential history. He ran for the Republican nomination in 2024 but suspended his campaign in January of that year. He then endorsed Donald Trump, who went on to become the party's standard-bearer. DeSantis is term-limited and leaves the Florida governorship in January 2027, and he has not ruled out seeking the presidency again. That timing places the question of his next move in the period after his current term ends, which is why the Post's reporting drew immediate attention in political circles.
The question of 2028 also arrives against a difficult stretch for the Republican Party. In recent midterm elections, Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress, and several traditional GOP strongholds flipped to Democrats. Florida remained in Republican hands, with Byron Donalds winning the governor's race, giving the party a clear win in a state DeSantis has long positioned as a model of conservative governance. Even so, DeSantis described the national losses as an «extinction-level event» for Republicans, a characterization that frames the stakes for the party heading into the next presidential cycle.
Neither side has offered further detail on the planning described in the report. The Post's three sources have not been named, and the specific claims about the consultant and the fundraising text have not been independently confirmed. Until the newspaper or DeSantis's office provides additional information, the reported preparations remain unverified, and DeSantis's public denial stands as the only direct response from the governor himself.
Source: foxnews.com
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