Ron DeSantis tried to take Donald Trump's crown in 2024 and got destroyed for his trouble.
The Florida governor spent over $150 million, toured every diner in Iowa, and still got crushed by double digits before limping out of the race.
And Ron DeSantis made one visit to Staten Island that has Trump seeing red.
DeSantis Returns To Staten Island After Presidential Disaster
DeSantis showed up in Staten Island on Friday with no advance warning, stopping at Joyce's Tavern in Eltingville and Lee's Tavern in Dongan Hills.¹
The visit came with no official purpose disclosed, though DeSantis met with Borough President Vito Fossella and posed for photos with locals.²
Here's what makes this visit sting: DeSantis campaigned in this exact spot back in February 2023 when he was gearing up to challenge Trump for the Republican nomination.
Back then, DeSantis drew crowds of supporters wearing "DeSantis 2024" t-shirts and chanting about him being the future of the party.
Fast forward to December 2025, and DeSantis is back in Staten Island — except now he's the guy who got embarrassed on the national stage and sent home with his tail between his legs.
At Joyce's Tavern, DeSantis tried to joke his way through the awkwardness.
"People in Florida say Staten Island is kind of like a borough of Florida because the politics are so similar," DeSantis told the crowd.³
https://twitter.com/JohnMChell/status/1996997375261339890?s=20
He described how people often ask him to "come to New York and save New York," but DeSantis had to admit the obvious.
"I couldn't get elected in New York with the voters you have," he said.⁴
Then he added, "But if it was just NYPD and Fire, I could get elected if it was that."⁵
Translation: Even DeSantis knows he can't win outside his home turf.
Trump Locked DeSantis Out Of His Administration
The timing of this visit is no accident.
DeSantis is term-limited as Florida governor and will leave office in January 2027.
He tried to position himself as Trump's successor and got demolished by Trump's political machine.
Now Trump is back in the White House assembling his second administration — and DeSantis got exactly zero phone calls about joining the cabinet.
Trump gave cabinet positions to Vivek Ramaswamy (before he withdrew), Tulsi Gabbard, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and a dozen others who either supported him or stayed neutral during the primary.
But the guy who challenged Trump directly? Shut out completely.
DeSantis endorsed Trump after dropping out of the race in January 2024, but Trump doesn't forget or forgive easily.
https://twitter.com/chicabonita2145/status/1997767542534812054?s=20
The former president spent months mocking DeSantis as "Ron DeSanctimonious" and released AI-generated videos showing DeSantis as a failed rocket launch.
DeSantis visiting Staten Island — the only New York City borough that voted for Trump in both 2016 and 2020 — sends a clear message that he's not going away.
And that message will absolutely drive Trump up the wall.
DeSantis Is Already Positioning For 2028
DeSantis told supporters after dropping out that he wasn't interested in being Trump's vice president but hadn't ruled out a 2028 presidential run.⁶
This Staten Island visit is DeSantis reminding Republicans he still exists and still has ambitions beyond Tallahassee.
He's making appearances, meeting with law enforcement (a key Trump constituency), and keeping his name in circulation.
The problem for DeSantis is that Trump voters have long memories.
They watched DeSantis try to out-Trump Trump by attacking him from the right on COVID policies, Disney, and immigration.
They saw DeSantis call Trump "missing in action" for skipping debates.
And they remembered that when it came time to vote, DeSantis couldn't win a single primary state.
Staten Island Republicans welcomed DeSantis warmly on Friday, but everyone there knows the score.
DeSantis isn't the future of the Republican Party — he's the guy who thought he could be and got proven wrong at every turn.
Trump must be loving every second of this awkwardness.
¹ Luke Peteley, "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visits Staten Island Friday afternoon," SI Advance, December 5, 2025.
² – ⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Florida Political Review, "What's Next for Governor Ron DeSantis?", September 22, 2025.
