Palin on 2024 race: DeSantis should ‘stay governor’

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) said on Tuesday that she thinks Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) should “stay governor” for the time being, as he continues to attract speculation about a potential 2024 presidential bid.

“DeSantis doesn’t need to [run],” Palin said in an interview with Newsmax. “I envision him as our president someday but not right now.

“He should stay governor for a bit longer,” she added. “He’s young, you know. He has decades ahead of him where he can be our president.”

Although DeSantis has yet to announce a 2024 presidential bid, he is widely viewed as former President Trump’s biggest competition for the Republican nomination. 

A recent poll from Monmouth University showed Trump and DeSantis tied as the leading choice among Republican voters for their party’s nominee.

However, Palin appeared confident in Trump’s 2024 prospects on Tuesday.

“I’m all about healthy, competitive primaries,” Palin said. “That makes everybody debate more articulately and work harder and let the people know what [their] records are and visions for this country are. And so, I love healthy debate and competitive primaries.”

“But when you talk about the specific people, the individual people who are looking at putting their hat in the ring … they got a lot of guts thinking they’re gonna go up against Trump,” she continued.

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) officially launched her 2024 presidential bid on Wednesday, becoming the first major Republican to challenge Trump. However, Haley is currently polling well behind both Trump and DeSantis, securing only 1 percent of GOP support in last week’s Monmouth poll.