Republicans are already buzzing about who takes over when Trump leaves office in 2029.
But one potential contender just poured cold water on the speculation.
And Ron DeSantis just shut down 2028 talk with one brutal message about the GOP's future.
DeSantis dismisses presidential speculation after disappointing GOP showing
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appeared on CNN's State of the Union Sunday and made it crystal clear he's not interested in presidential campaign chatter.
Not after what just happened to Republicans two weeks ago.
CNN's Jake Tapper asked DeSantis point-blank whether he was considering another White House run in 2028 after his failed 2024 primary campaign against Trump.
"Are you thinking of maybe running?" Tapper asked.
DeSantis didn't hesitate with his answer.
"I'm not thinking about anything because I think we have a president now who has not even been in for a year," DeSantis replied. "We've got a lot that we've got to accomplish."
The Florida governor then dropped the hammer on Republicans who think they can start positioning for 2028 while ignoring the disaster that just unfolded in the November 2025 off-year elections.
"Look at the election results two weeks ago for Republicans — that was not good," DeSantis stated. "We've got to do a good job as Republicans. And I think that should be the number one priority."
https://twitter.com/RedWave_Press/status/1990933565039694274?s=20
Democrats swept gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, with margins that should terrify the GOP heading into the 2026 midterms.
Democrat Abigail Spanberger demolished Republican Winsome Earle-Sears by more than 15 points in Virginia — 57.5% to 42.3%.
In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill crushed Republican Jack Ciattarelli in a state Trump had nearly won just a year earlier.
Exit polls showed independents breaking hard against Republicans, with Democrats winning them by 19 points in Virginia and 13 points in New Jersey.
These weren't close races. They were blowouts.
Early campaign jockeying won't fix what's broken
DeSantis made the case that Republicans focusing on 2028 positioning instead of governing are missing the point entirely.
"The way you do well in the midterm elections is to produce positive results," DeSantis explained. "This jockeying and all that, I don't think is productive for us. Get things done for people."
The governor pointed to his own track record transforming Florida from a purple swing state into a Republican stronghold.
"We showed in Florida when I came in, we were a purple state. Now we're considered a red state because we produced results and people followed," DeSantis said.
https://twitter.com/DefiantLs/status/1990963241577550332?s=20
DeSantis won his 2022 reelection by nearly 20 points and flipped Miami-Dade County — a densely populated, diverse area — for the first time in two decades.
His message to Republicans eyeing 2028 was simple: earn it through results, not early positioning.
The governor's comments come as Vice President JD Vance is widely viewed as the frontrunner to succeed Trump.
Trump himself told Fox News in August that Vance would "probably be favored" for the 2028 nomination, though he left the door open for others including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
"I think Marco is also somebody that maybe would get together with J.D. in some form," Trump said at the time.
But all the insider speculation about 2028 means nothing if Republicans can't stop the bleeding in 2025 and 2026.
DeSantis suspended his 2024 presidential campaign after finishing a distant second in the Iowa caucuses.
His campaign burned through more than $146 million from his super PAC Never Back Down, only to drop out one week after Iowa.
The Florida governor has since rebuilt bridges with Trump, endorsing him immediately after leaving the race and helping implement Trump's immigration policies in Florida.
That includes the controversial "Alligator Alcatraz" temporary detention center for illegal immigrants in the Everglades.
Political observers see DeSantis as still positioning himself for another potential run in 2028 despite his denials.
He's only 47 years old and will be wrapping up his final term as Florida governor just as the next presidential race kicks into high gear.
One source close to DeSantis told ABC News the governor has "privately expressed interest in running again as early as 2028."
But DeSantis learned painful lessons from his 2024 campaign about challenging Trump and the MAGA base.
His stiff, formal campaign style and reluctance to engage with media outlets hurt him badly against Trump's natural showmanship.
"I should have gone on everything," DeSantis admitted to radio host Hugh Hewitt days before suspending his campaign. "We had an opportunity, I think, to come out of the gate and do that and reach a much broader folk."
DeSantis also faces a complicated dynamic with Vance, who will enter 2028 as the clear MAGA heir apparent with Trump's backing.
Vance has spent the first ten months as vice president working tirelessly to position himself as Trump's successor, serving as Trump's attack dog on television and social media.
Republican strategists privately acknowledge that challenging Vance in 2028 means taking on the entire Trump political machine.
"There are a lot of us around here that are focused on JD being the next president," Senator Jim Banks told Newsweek recently.
DeSantis understands that reality, which is why he's telling anyone who will listen to forget about 2028 and focus on not losing the House in 2026.
"We've got a president now who has not even been in for a year," DeSantis emphasized in his CNN interview. "We've got a lot that we've got to accomplish."
DeSantis just said what most Republicans won't admit.
The party spent a year popping champagne over Trump's landslide, and now they're staring at a disaster.
Trump's approval numbers? Tanking. Voters don't like what they're seeing on the economy or how deportations are playing out.
The polls show it clear as day.
Those November elections were the first real test of Trump's second term.
Democrats crushed Republicans in races that shouldn't have been close.
Here's the pattern Republicans can't shake — Democrats show up, Republican voters stay home when Trump's not on the ballot.
Same thing that cost them the House in 2018 when they lost 40 seats.
They thought 2022's underwhelming "red wave" was a fluke. Now it's happening again.
They underperformed expectations in the 2022 midterms when a predicted "red wave" never materialized.
Now the warning signs are flashing again heading into 2026, when Republicans are defending a razor-thin House majority.
History shows the party occupying the White House typically gets crushed in midterm elections.
Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush both had approval ratings in the low 40s at this point in their second terms.
Their parties suffered massive losses in the subsequent midterms.
Trump's numbers are tracking slightly worse than Obama and Bush, with his approval stuck in the mid-30s according to most polling.
The combination of Trump's unpopularity and Republicans' inability to turn out voters without Trump on the ballot creates a perfect storm for 2026.
DeSantis sees this reality clearly, which is why he's telling Republicans to stop worrying about who runs in 2028 and start worrying about keeping the House in 2026.
Because if Democrats flip the House next year, Trump becomes a lame duck for his final two years in office.
And all the 2028 positioning in the world won't matter if Republicans spend the next three years defending Trump from House Democrats armed with subpoena power and impeachment articles.
"Get things done for people," DeSantis urged his fellow Republicans.
That's a message the party desperately needs to hear as it faces a make-or-break midterm election in just 12 months.
¹ Jake Tapper, "State of the Union Interview with Ron DeSantis," CNN, November 17, 2025.
² "Democrats Sweep Key Races in 2025 Elections," CBS News, November 5, 2025.
³ "12 Months Out From the US Midterms, Both Sides Struggle to Gain Electoral Advantage," The Conversation, October 23, 2025.
⁴ "Trump Says JD Vance Would Be 'Probably Favored' for 2028 Republican Presidential Nomination," Fox News, August 6, 2025.
