Ron DeSantis insists he WON'T serve as Donald Trump's vice presidential pick if asked, as Florida governor struggles to gain ground ahead of 2024 GOP nomination

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he would not be open to taking on the role of vice president if former President Donald Trump asked him to be his No. 2. 

Talking on' 'Sunday Morning Futures' with Maria Bartiromo, the presidential hopeful from the Sunshine State said he has no plans to take on the role beside Trump. 

'No, I'm running for president,' DeSantis told the FOX News host bluntly. 

The curt answer comes as DeSantis is a staggering 31 points behind the former president in a recent Fox Business poll of GOP Caucus voters in Iowa. 

It's the second time Gov. DeSantis has shared his hesitation in becoming the VP, after previously telling Newsmax that he's 'more of an executive guy.' 

During his appearance, DeSantis stressed that he is not interested in the idea of a backseat role in the coming election. 

'We need somebody that can serve two terms,' he said. 

'We need somebody that can win states like Georgia and Arizona, which President Trump cannot do or did not do, even though candidates like McCain and Romney had no problem winning those states,' DeSantis continued. 

McCain carried Arizona in 2008 with a margin of 8.48 percent and Georgia by a margin of 5.2 percent. 

Romney won by 9.06 percent in Arizona in 2012 and 7.8 percent in Georgia. 

Former President Trump won Georgia and Arizona in 2016 by smaller margins. 

In 2020, however, Trump lost Arizona to President Joe Biden by .3 percent and Arizona by .23 percent. 

The statement from DeSantis comes after Trump recently jabbed at his fellow Republicans by saying he didn't see a potential vice president in the race. 

'They're all job candidates,' Trump said on Wednesday. 

'They'll do anything, secretary of something. They even say VP. I don't know. Does anybody see any VP in the group? I don't think so,' he said. 

In March, DeSantis said that he would not be open to the opportunity as he rode the high of his impending campaign announcement. 

'I think that you want to be able to do things,' DeSantis said while talking about why he would run for the highest office. 

He added that it is 'probably what I'm most suited for.' 

On the other side of things, when asked if he would consider Trump as his running mate, he responded: 'That's interesting speculation.' 

As of September 29, polls show the former president leaps and bounds ahead of his fellow Republicans vying for the presidency. 

Polling website Five Thirty-Eight shows Trump winning a whopping 55.1 percent of the vote following the second debate. 

DeSantis, the second most popular candidate, pulled just 13.5 percent. 

Vivek Ramaswamy received 6.6 percent while Nikki Haley had just 6.5 percent.