Verdict: False

There is no evidence DeSantis filed to run for President. There are multiple signs showing that the filing is fake.

Fact Check:

DeSantis is widely expected to run for the Republican Party presidential nomination, according to USA Today. A notable Florida Republican Representative, Brian Mast, endorsed Trump over DeSantis Apr. 18, The Guardian reported.

The Facebook image claims to show DeSantis filing with the FEC to run for president with Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his running mate.

However, there is no evidence that DeSantis filed to run for president. If DeSantis had decided to file to run for president, media outlets would have covered it, yet none have. One outlet that did cover it, WFLA, issued a correction noting that the filing did not appear legitimate.

Rob Pryer, research director for California Target Book, called out the fake filing on Twitter.

We’ve already had a fake Biden presidential filing, now the first fake Ron DeSantis FEC presidential candidacy filing of the 2024 cycle just dropped.

This latest work of fan fiction via the FEC’s online filing portal lists Kristi Noem as his VP.https://t.co/OUHmieRG9y pic.twitter.com/DPhPN5ksGQ

— Rob Pyers (@rpyers) April 8, 2023

“We’ve already had a fake Biden presidential filing, now the first fake Ron DeSantis FEC presidential candidacy filing of the 2024 cycle just dropped. This latest work of fan fiction via the FEC’s online filing portal lists Kristi Noem as his VP,” Pryer tweeted.

Pryer noted other issues with the filing, including that the address for the committee was the Governor’s mansion, choosing a running mate in April 2023, and not filing another form. The filing also does not capitalize “S” in “DeSantis.”

An FEC spokesperson told Check Your Fact that they “wouldn’t be able to comment on the legitimacy of that filing.” (RELATED: Did Hillary Clinton Endorse Ron DeSantis For President?)

“It’s not uncommon for false and fictious filings to be submitted to the Commission,” the spokesperson said before pointing Check Your Fact to procedures adopted by the FEC in 2016 to deal with filings with false information.

Newsweek debunked the claim as well. Florida’s Voice, a conservative news website, appears to be the first outlet to have addressed the fake FEC filing.

Check Your Fact reached out to a DeSantis spokesperson and will update this article if a response is provided.