Carly Atchison, a spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, on Newsmax Tuesday ruled out the possibility of DeSantis joining former President Donald Trump as a running mate — but said if Trump wants to be DeSantis' vice president, "maybe we could talk about that."
"Ron DeSantis has made very clear [that] he's in this to be president of the United States and not to be somebody but to do things for the American people," Atchison said during Newsmax's "Wake Up America," adding that while he'd previously supported Trump, the former president "didn't deliver" on his promises.
"He promised to build a border wall," she added about Trump. "He promised to eliminate the national debt, a lot of things that Americans were ready for, and he didn't deliver on his promises."
Newsmax pointed out that President Ronald Reagan served two terms, followed by President George H.W. Bush, meaning Republicans were in office for 12 years, and noted that the same thing could happen if DeSantis joined Trump's ticket.
"Well, if Donald Trump wants to be the vice president, maybe we could talk about that, but Ron DeSantis is running to be president," Atchison replied. "He's not running to be vice president or serve on somebody's cabinet. He's made that clear."
Further, if DeSantis is elected, he could serve two terms, but if Trump wins the race, he could serve only one more term, so would be a "lame duck on day one," said Atchison.
"We need somebody who can go in and serve for eight years," she said.
Meanwhile, DeSantis considers Iowa an important factor, given the caucuses there are the first contest in the nation and "will set the tone for the rest of the race," Atchison said.
"[He] is in New Hampshire right now with Gov. [Chris] Sununu, so he's been splitting his time evenly but what we expect in Iowa is based on the work that he has been able to do here," she said. "He's visited 98 of 99 counties, secured a key endorsement from Gov. Kim Richards, who was on Newsmax last night, making her case for why she decided to support Ron DeSantis. So that's really key here. Again, there's a lot of people who haven't made up their minds. We see this very much as a two-man race."
Winning in Iowa is also important because an upset win over Trump "pokes a hole in the argument they've been making," said Atchison.
Further, the election calendar this year is different from in the past, and DeSantis is "basically running against an incumbent," President Joe Biden, she added. "If he is able to pull off the upset in Iowa it's game-on."
Atchison also rejected an argument that former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's rising star is threatening DeSantis, saying that Haley is threatened by him and that is "why she continues to attack him" and spend money against him.
"Donald Trump is [also] threatened by Ron DeSantis, which is why he has spent over $25 million" attacking him, she said. "He continues to attack Ron DeSantis every single day. Every candidate in this race is afraid of [him] because they know he's the candidate to beat."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE -- See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.