Ron DeSantis suggested to donors in a phone call Thursday that he is the only candidate that can beat President Joe Biden in 2024 as he prepares to officially jump into the race.
Substantiated by a reporter for The New York Times who listened in on the conversation, DeSantis struck a confident demeanor throughout the call.
The Florida governor all but declared his candidacy, telling supporters that "you have basically three people at this point that are credible in this whole thing" — himself, Biden, and former President Donald Trump.
Elsewhere in the call, DeSantis praised Trump's policies but took shots at his electoral record and the permanence of his influence, arguing that Biden and other Democrat victories have rolled back many of them.
Many Republican voters believe, "We've got to win this time," he explained, adding that the criticism levied at him proves "the corporate media wants Trump to be the nominee."
"When we say we're going to do something, we do it, and get it done," DeSantis said of his record in Florida, later criticizing Trump for favoring executive orders over leading Congress into action.
DeSantis also appealed to his former Tea Party credentials in presenting himself as someone who would stress slashing the federal budget, a project he accused the Trump administration of ignoring.
"I think the voters want to move on from Biden," the governor proclaimed. "They just want a vehicle they can get behind." However, there are "just too many voters that don't view Trump as that vehicle."
The comments arrive one week before sources say DeSantis will announce that he is joining the 2024 Republican presidential primaries.
He will reportedly file paperwork with the Federal Election Commission declaring his candidacy on May 25, the same day the governor is expected to meet with donors in Miami, Florida, to show his financial force.
One source also informed the paper that the pro-DeSantis political action committee Never Back Down will release a video parading his entrance into the race as the governor begins to trek through the early nominating states.
An average of primary polls from FiveThirtyEight shows that the governor currently sits over 30 points behind Trump in the primary. At the same time, a recent Morning Consult survey has him doing just one point better than the former president against Biden, who leads both.
Newsmax reached out to the Trump-affiliated Make America Great Again PAC and DeSantis' communications office for comment.