Second thoughts about DeSantis?

The Florida governor's opinions on funding for Ukraine are ruffling feathers within the Republican Party

Ron DeSantis speaks to supporters
(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis hasn't officially declared he is running for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, but he sure is acting like it. In spite of having no immediate gubernatorial concern with Ukraine's effort to repel Russia's ongoing invasion, DeSantis weighed in on the international implications of America's continued financial support for the Ukrainian military, claiming it isn't in our "vital national interests" to become "further entangled in a territorial dispute between Ukraine and Russia."

That DeSantis was asked about the Russo-Ukrainian war in the first place is itself a sign of his prime position within the nascent GOP nominating field. His answer came in response to a questionnaire issued by Fox News host Tucker Carlson to multiple Republican candidates — both declared and assumed — including former President Donald Trump, Nikki Haley, and Mike Pence.

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Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.