Ron DeSantis says it would be “deadly” for Republicans if Trump were convicted and chosen as their nominee

Ron DeSantis said that if Donald Trump is convicted, the Republican Party should ensure that he is not nominated for president – and asserted that he is convinced that Americans would not vote for the ex-president if he is ultimately convicted .

A general election with a convicted Trump as the GOP nominee would be “fatal” for the party, DeSantis said Thursday.

Florida’s governor signed the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) pledge to support the future 2024 candidate – and said he stands by it despite the “crazy” that has happened since he first signed the pledge.

Trump, who has a huge lead over other Republicans running for president, has been facing a series of lawsuits and indictments since early 2023.

At the same time, the ex-president refused to take part in the primary debates, claiming he was above events – much to the annoyance of his competitors.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said it would be “deadly” for the Republican Party if Donald Trump was convicted of a crime and became the GOP nominee for president in 2024

“We will not win as Republicans if we adopt the strategy that Biden pursued when he was in the basement during the 2020 campaign,” DeSantis said during an interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe program Thursday morning.

“That’s basically what Donald Trump is doing,” he claimed. “He refuses to debate.”

DeSantis will join at least three other Republican candidates in debating the third event of the primary campaign in Miami, Florida next Wednesday, November 8th.

Trump will skip the debate again next week and instead hold a rally in another Florida city at the same time.

MSNBC host Willie Geist asked DeSantis whether he would continue to support Trump if he were convicted of a crime.

“You are a lawyer. You served in the Navy. “You were well educated in the best schools,” the host noted of the Florida governor. “Do you really believe that a man who was convicted of, say, trying to overturn the 2020 election or bringing the nuclear secrets to his beach club, do you actually still believe, as we sit here today, that that person should be president? ?”

“So I signed a pledge, Willie, and that pledge is what it is,” DeSantis acknowledged.

“Do I think someone could be elected president under these circumstances? The answer is no,” he added. ‘That will not happen. I think Republican voters will understand that as we get closer to the vote.”

However, he said if Trump were elected as the GOP nominee and then convicted it would be damaging to the 2024 general election, and said the RNC should consider whether to nominate someone else in that case.

Trump has been facing a series of lawsuits and indictments since the start of 2023 that will continue throughout the year and into next year. However, the ex-president is still the absolute leading candidate in the 2024 presidential primaries

“In a general election that would be disastrous and I don’t think the party should nominate [Trump] in this situation,” he said.

Trump still has a significant lead in the polls over everyone else still running for the nomination in 2024.

Gov. DeSantis has long been in second place — but now he is weakening, sometimes even falling behind some of his competitors, both in statewide polls and those conducted among voters in early primary states.

“I am participating in this process.” I have the plan to win. “We will win,” DeSantis assured.

“At the same time, it’s like you can’t just take your ball and go home,” he added. “You can’t say with one side of your mouth, ‘The country is in decline, Biden is failing,’ and then out the other side say, ‘I’ll just sulk if it doesn’t work.’ ‘Go my way.’