DeSantis: 2024 presidential bid speculation ‘purely manufactured’

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday dispelled rumors that he may be running for president in 2024, referring to the buzz around the subject as “purely manufactured.”

“All the speculation about me is purely manufactured,” DeSantis said during a news conference to discuss a new COVID-19 treatment unit in St. Cloud, Florida. “I just do my job and we work hard… I hear all this stuff and honestly it’s nonsense.”

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DeSantis’ remarks on the subject come just days before he headlines a Nebraska event with other potential 2024 candidates to celebrate agriculture on Sept. 12 in Nebraska City. During the gathering, DeSantis will speak alongside former Vice President Mike Pence and Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. The event will also correspond with Gov. Pete Ricketts’ annual steak fry, which is being held at Arbor Lodge Historical Park.

DeSantis, in many ways, has likened himself to former President Donald Trump and stood firm against many policies implemented by President Joe Biden‘s administration, mask mandates, and lockdown measures throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

DeSantis’ remarks also come on the same day Fox News confirmed that Trump will travel to Iowa in October for a rally, marking his first trip back to the first-in-the-nation caucus since the 2020 election, raising speculation as to whether he will seek to return to the White House through the 2024 presidential election.

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In April, Trump said he would “certainly” consider DeSantis as his running mate should he decide to run for president again. “I endorsed Ron and after I endorsed him he took off like a rocket ship,” Trump said at the time. “He’s done a great job as governor.”

DeSantis narrowly edged out Trump in a 2024 straw poll at the Western Conservative Summit over the summer.

The straw poll at the summit, which Colorado Christian University’s Centennial Institute hosted, asked people attending the gathering both in-person and on-line to vote for all of the potential 2024 presidential contenders that they approve of out of 31 choices of both Republicans and Democrats. DeSantis received 74% approval, followed by Trump at 71%.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this article.