(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., recently teased conservatives at the Turning Point USA conference in Phoenix on Dec. 22 by saying that he may run for the seat of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., after President-elect Donald Trump nominated Rubio for Secretary of State.
🚨BREAKING: Matt Gaetz says he might run for Senate in Florida.
pic.twitter.com/fuiyzpuwr2— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) December 22, 2024
“We have been asked which perch I will be fighting from next, and some of you throughout this conference have even given me a few suggestions… It seems I may not have had enough support in the United States Senate,” he said, referring to the RINOs in the Senate opposing his nomination as attorney general, which resulted in him withdrawing his nomination.
Gaetz then suggested that he should “just run for Marco Rubio’s vacant seat in the United States Senate.”
“Enjoyed some of those folks, and my friend Steve Bannon and others have suggested that I return to the House of Representatives on Jan. 3, but I would remind Steve when he got out of prison, he didn’t punch a guard on the way out,” he joked.
Gaetz previously said that he doesn’t plan to return to Congress, stating that even though he would continue fighting for President-elect Donald Trump, “eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress.”
Gaetz then stated that he would enjoy being a regular American citizen.
“It was [President] James Madison who said that the most powerful position in America would not be congressman or senator or even president, but that of a citizen because we put such an obligation on the citizenry to ignite the patriotism that the country needs,” he said.
Gaetz also mentioned during his speech that he may run for governor of Florida to replace Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., which he also suggested before the event.
The National Review’s anonymous source also alleged that DeSantis doesn’t consider replacing Rubio with Gaetz.
The recent news came after Gaetz announced he would become a host on OAN, which many conservatives found disappointing. Many pointed out that it would waste his talent since Gaetz’s supporters wanted to see him as attorney general or senator and that people no longer watch cable TV.
Lara Trump also recently stated that she wouldn’t be running for Rubio’s seat, crushing some conservatives’ hopes to see her in the Senate.
