Does Rod Dreher think Ron DeSantis could be the Republican nominee in 2028?

Rod Dreher says Ron DeSantis, the outgoing Florida governor who lost the 2024 nomination to Trump, could be the strongest outside candidate for 2028. Dreher calls DeSantis competent but uncharismatic, and says his rational critiques of MAGA since the midterms stand out because he is the only national Republican figure not tainted by Trumpism. Andrew Prokop notes that a week earlier DeSantis was treated as a has-been.

• DeSantis called the result close to an extinction-level event for Republicans in many parts of the country.
• DeSantis criticized Kristi Noem's immigration approach and said he sold all his stocks on entering Congress in 2012.

▸In their words

“he's the only national Republican politician not tainted by Trumpism.” Rod Dreher · at 20:28 — open in the transcript →

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on Today, Explained (2026-11-05). Read the whole episode summary →

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