Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis said he has no interest in being former President Donald Trump's running mate.
During an interview with OutKick's Clay Travis, DeSantis was asked if he would accept an offer to be Trump's 2024 vice presidential pick if offered.
"I'm running for president to beat [President Joe] Biden. I'm reliable, I reflect the values of our voters, and I will deliver on all this stuff. I've shown the ability to do that in Florida," DeSantis told Travis on Wednesday.
"Doing No. 2, it just doesn't appeal to me, and I don't think I would be good at it. And I think I'm probably more valuable doing other things."
Polls currently show Trump with a big lead in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. DeSantis has been party voters' second choice.
Morning Consult poll results released Tuesday showed that 59% of GOP voters support Trump, while 16% back DeSantis.
Still, DeSantis told Travis his only intent is to win the nomination and then the general election.
"Some people run for president because they want a cabinet position or veep or all that … or TV contributorship. I'm not that," he said. "I don't want veep. I don't want cabinet. I don't want to be a contributor. I'm running to win, and that's the only reason I'm running."
Even before officially entering the race, DeSantis told Newsmax in March that he was not interested in joining Trump on the bottom of the GOP ticket.
"I think I'm probably more of an executive guy. I think that you want to be able to do things. That's part of the reason I got into this job is because we have action, we're able to make things happen. And I think that's probably what I'm best suited for," DeSantis said on "Eric Bolling The Balance."
DeSantis' latest comments to Travis also were similar to what he told Wisconsin Right Now earlier this month when he was asked if he would consider being Trump's VP candidate.
"I don't think so. I don't think I'm a No. 2 guy," he told Wisconsin Right Now. "I think I'm a leader. Governor of Florida, I've accomplished a lot. I think I could do more staying there than being VP, which doesn't really have any authority."
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