Trump Faces Pressure to Appoint Rival Ron DeSantis as Attorney General

Donald Trump is under intense pressure from his inner circle to hand the attorney general’s job to one of his fiercest political rivals, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. This surprising pivot comes despite the two clashing bitterly during the last presidential election cycle.

Fox News host Sean Hannity and Ike Perlmutter, former Marvel Entertainment chairman and a key figure in both men’s circles, have been quietly lobbying Trump to tap DeSantis for the Justice Department’s top spot, according to the Wall Street Journal. Hannity even gave DeSantis a prime-time platform in early May, praising him for turning Florida into a haven for billionaires.

DeSantis, whose Florida governorship is term-limited and ends in January 2027, has publicly downplayed interest in the role, telling the Journal, “I haven’t asked for a job. So it’s not a question of interest or not. I want to help the country, and I want the president to do well.” However, Axios reported that DeSantis made a more explicit pitch for the AG position during a lunch at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in late April, with Trump telling a confidante that DeSantis had been “begging” for the job.

Meanwhile, Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general and Trump’s former personal defense lawyer, is scrambling to secure the permanent appointment. Since replacing Pam Bondi in April, Blanche has aggressively pursued controversial indictments, including against former FBI Director James Comey and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The SPLC has publicly accused Blanche of misleading the grand jury and demanded a retraction for his false claims about the group’s cooperation with law enforcement.

Blanche has roughly 90 days to convince Trump he deserves to keep the job. When asked if he was auditioning, Blanche snapped, “I don’t audition for this job,” before listing his credentials.

This potential appointment would mark a dramatic shift in Trump’s approach, given that during the 2020 Republican primaries, he repeatedly mocked DeSantis with the nickname “DeSanctimonious.” Now, with DeSantis’s governorship ending and Trump’s allies eager to consolidate power, the bitter rivals may soon be forced into an uneasy alliance at the highest levels of government.

The White House has declined to comment on the reports. But one thing is clear: the jockeying for control of the Justice Department is heating up, with serious implications for the rule of law and political accountability in the Trump era.