Ron DeSantis got some devastating news about 2028 that left him regretting his biggest mistake

Remember when Ron DeSantis was supposed to be the future of the Republican Party?

Those days seem like ancient history now.

And Ron DeSantis got some devastating news about 2028 that left him regretting his biggest mistake.

From media darling to afterthought

Two years ago, you couldn’t turn on cable news without hearing about Ron DeSantis as Trump’s natural successor.

Remember the New York Post calling him “DeFuture” after that massive 19-point win in Florida? Media talking heads practically measured the Oval Office drapes for the guy.

Now? He’s scraping along at 6% in polls, watching his political future crumble in real time.

A fresh poll out of Texas – a state where DeSantis spent considerable time and resources courting Republican voters – delivered a brutal reality check.¹

The Emerson College survey showed DeSantis tied for a pathetic third place at just 6% support among Texas Republicans.

That puts him a whopping 39 points behind Vice President JD Vance, who’s sitting pretty at 45%.

Even more embarrassing? DeSantis is tied with Marco Rubio, who barely campaigned in Texas at all.

Trump called it from day one

Trump saw this disaster coming from miles away and wasn’t shy about warning DeSantis what would happen if he ran.

“DeSantis will lose the cherished and massive MAGA vote and never be able to successfully run for office again,” Trump declared back in April 2023.²

At the time, many political insiders dismissed it as typical Trump bluster.

But Trump’s prediction is looking downright prophetic now.

Author Alex Isenstadt revealed in his book “Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power” that Trump had privately questioned DeSantis’s political judgment.

“Is Ron really that stupid to run against me? Why doesn’t he just wait until 2028?” Trump reportedly said in early 2023.³

The answer to that question became painfully clear when DeSantis crashed and burned in the Republican primary, dropping out after a distant second-place finish in Iowa.

The moment that never came

Political moments are everything in presidential campaigns, and DeSantis and his wife Casey thought 2024 was their time to strike.

They believed DeSantis offered “Trump without the baggage” and “Trump without the crazy” to war-weary Republican voters.

The couple was convinced that the post-January 6th political climate created an opening to knock Trump off the stage.

But they badly miscalculated the loyalty of Trump’s base and the former President’s staying power.

DeSantis proved to be an unlikable candidate who couldn’t work a room or handle the spontaneity required for a national campaign.

The governor’s stiff, rehearsed approach bombed with voters outside Florida who expected more warmth and spontaneity.

How Texas exposed DeSantis’s weakness

Here’s where it gets really embarrassing for DeSantis – he practically moved to Texas during his presidential campaign.

He held fundraising events in six Texas cities and delivered tough speeches about border security.

The Florida Governor even made headlines by vowing to use “deadly force” via the U.S. military against cartel operatives crossing the border.⁴

DeSantis also sent Florida’s State Guard and National Guard to Texas in 2024 to help Governor Greg Abbott with border enforcement.

Florida taxpayers even footed the bill for those controversial flights that moved illegal immigrants from Texas to Massachusetts – at a cost of roughly $35,000 per traveler.

Despite all that effort and Florida resources being deployed, Texas Republicans have resoundingly rejected DeSantis.

The Lone Star State poll results show that all his posturing and grandstanding failed to move the needle with the voters he desperately needed to win over.

JD Vance picks up what DeSantis dropped

Talk about role reversal – while DeSantis can barely crack double digits, Vance is running away with Trump’s blessing.

Recent polling shows Vance with commanding leads nationwide, sitting at 49% support among Republican primary voters according to some surveys.

Trump himself has all but anointed Vance as his successor, telling Fox News that the Vice President “would be probably favored at this point” for 2028.

Even more telling, Trump recently teased both Vance and Marco Rubio by asking them, “Which one of you is going to be at the top of the ticket?”⁵

DeSantis wasn’t even part of that conversation.

DeSantis painted himself into a corner

So what’s next for Ron when his time as governor runs out in January 2027?

His options aren’t exactly inspiring. A Senate run in 2028? That means going up against Ashley Moody – the same person he hand-picked for Rubio’s seat and who now has Trump’s seal of approval.

Here’s a guy who two years ago looked like the Republican Party’s next big thing. Now he’s fishing around for whatever political scraps he can find.

At just 46 years old, DeSantis theoretically has time for a comeback – perhaps a Senate run followed by another presidential bid in 2032 or beyond.

But the political landscape will likely look vastly different by then, and the moment he thought was his may never come again.

What happened to DeSantis? Simple – he misread the room and challenged the wrong guy at the wrong time.

Sometimes waiting your turn is the smarter play – a lesson Ron “DeFuture” DeSantis learned the hard way.

¹ Emerson College, “Texas GOP Presidential Poll Shows Vance Leading,” Florida Politics, August 15, 2025.

² Alex Isenstadt, “Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power,” Political Reports, 2025.

³ Ibid.

⁴ Ron DeSantis Campaign, “Border Security News Conference,” Texas Campaign Events, 2023.

⁵ Elaine Mallon, “Trump privately teases Rubio could rival Vance for 2028 GOP nomination,” The National News Desk, August 11, 2025.