Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) officially dropped out of the 2024 presidential election last Sunday, endorsing Donald Trump. Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) said he was "happy" to have Gov. DeSantis back in Florida during an appearance on Fox Business's Big Money Show and that he also wants to see him more involved in the state legislature.
"I think he needs to focus on Florida," said Rep. Steube, "That is what I have been asking him to do, and other members of Congress have been asking him to do."
Additionally, he pointed out that legislative sessions only last 60 days (consecutively) per year, and the 2024 session has already started.
"[DeSantis] has been in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina and not focused on the issues that we have here in the State of Florida during a very finite period of time that the legislature is in session. So I am glad he is coming back to Florida," Rep. Steube continued, expecting greater involvement from DeSantis now that he's off the campaign trail.
However, Steube suggested a 2028 run for DeSantis will be "difficult" because he tried to run against Trump in 2024 despite getting help from the former President to become Governor of Florida in the first place.
"I think there are a lot of people in the base that are very upset that he would challenge Trump after Trump had a lot to do with him being elected as governor, so time will tell, obviously. He has two more years before he is termed out as governor in 2026," Steube concluded.
The Florida Congressman was not enthusiastic about DeSantis running for President in May, criticizing the change in Florida's "resign to run law" allowing DeSantis to begin his campaign. After all, the two had already been growing distant, with Steube describing how DeSantis had effectively ignored him since winning in 2018.
"There have been multiple opportunities where I have gone up to him and talked to him, giving him my cell phone number and asked him to reach out to me. There have been events in my district that I was specifically told I couldn't be part of the press conference, told to go stand in the corner, and was not allowed to be participating in that when he was in my district so, it's you can't win friends and influence people that way, especially in the political realm," Steube said in April.
