Trump on Possible Clash With DeSantis in 2024: 'I'd Beat Him Like I Would Beat Everyone Else'

The former US president remains ambiguous about a possible third run for the Oval Office in 2024. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, however, has indicated that he has no plans to enter the presidential race, focusing only on the chances of his own reelection.

Former US President Donald Trump has expressed high confidence in his chances for a possible face-off with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, should the latter aim for the Oval Office in 2024, according to excerpts from an interview with Yahoo Finance set to be published Monday.

“If I faced him, I'd beat him like I would beat everyone else,” Trump asserted, noting, however, that he does not expect for the matchup to happen: "I don't think I will face him. I think most people would drop out, I think he would drop out."

Trump's boasts come even though DeSantis has never announced an intention to run for the White House 2024 race, although the latter is currently focused on keeping his governorship in the 2022 midterms.

"I’m not considering anything beyond doing my job," DeSantis said on 'Hannity' Thursday night. "We’ve got a lot of stuff going on in Florida. I’m going to be running for reelection next year and we’re also working on a lot of things in the state beyond just the governor’s race."

Trump has been coy about his plans for 2024. Even though he appeared to make up his mind on his intentions, he continues to deliver ambiguous statements: first, he would tease his supporters with hints that he might take part in the next presidential election and then indicate that a "bad call" from his doctor, should it occur, might stop him from running.

It is too early for a lineup of presidential hopefuls for 2024, but many have viewed DeSantis, one of the most prominent Republicans in the country, as a possible candidate.

A September poll by Emerson College suggested that DeSantis would receive the highest percentage of support from Republican voters in the event that Trump did not run, securing 32% of possible votes. When Trump is listed as a candidate, he leads with 67%, and DeSantis comes in second, the only theoretical candidate in the poll with double-digit support, at 10%