President Donald Trump confirmed Friday he would be open to placing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in a cabinet position once DeSantis departs the governor’s office.
A reporter asked Trump directly whether he had any interest in bringing the Florida governor into his administration.
Trump answered without hesitation, saying, “I like him a lot.”
DeSantis faces a mandatory exit from the governorship no later than January 2027, when Florida’s term limit laws require him to step down.
With no clear next office to seek, the governor finds himself navigating an uncertain political future.
DeSantis first captured national conservative attention during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when he opted to keep Florida’s economy and schools functioning while governors across the country locked their states down.
His defiant posture toward federal health guidance made him a hero to the right and launched him onto the national stage.
Those years of national prominence culminated in a 2024 presidential run that pitted him directly against Trump — a contest DeSantis did not win.
Since that campaign, the two men have rebuilt their working relationship, collaborating most visibly on border security and immigration enforcement.
DeSantis has also been active on the electoral front, backing a redrawn Florida congressional map that Republicans believe could deliver four additional House seats when voters go to the polls in 2026.
Any conversation about DeSantis entering the administration unfolds against the backdrop of a cabinet that has seen considerable turnover, with departures including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
Axios reported last month that DeSantis had privately made his ambitions known to Trump, with interest in the attorney general post topping the list.
The same report indicated DeSantis had also raised the prospect of serving as secretary of defense and signaled interest in a potential Supreme Court nomination down the road.
Trump, according to a source in the Axios report, described the governor’s outreach bluntly: “Ron was begging me to be AG.”
A separate source in that same report offered this take: “There was a conversation at that lunch. I don’t think AG is real. But he’s gonna be looking for work and Trump likes him.”
The DeSantis camp wasted no time rejecting the account, with a spokesperson labeling the claims “fake rumors.”
That spokesperson pointed to the governor’s ongoing work with the Trump administration as evidence of where his focus actually lies, saying: “The governor looks forward to continuing to work with President Trump on enforcing immigration laws, restoring the Everglades, and helping to reform college athletics.”
No formal offer from the White House has been announced.
