Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event on July 17, 2023.Photo:AP Photo/Meg Kinnard
AP Photo/Meg Kinnard
Ron DeSantisis opening up for the first time sincesuspending his presidential campaignover the weekend.
On Tuesday, in his first post-campaign interview onThe Steve Deace Show, the far-right politician, 45, cited unenthusiastic, “checked out” voters as the No. 1 reason for his campaign’s failure.
The Florida governor said he “kept running into voters” who liked him and his policies, but felt like they “owed Trump another shot.”
“They were conservative, but they did not want to see Trump nominated again, but they had basically been told that it was inevitable, that it was over. ‘Why even bother?’” DeSantis said.
Reflecting on people who have supportedDonald Trumpdespite not being particularly fond of him, DeSantis named Iowa caucusgoers specifically, calling them “checked out.”
Republican voters in the state “just totally dropped out of the process,” he added.
Donald Trump.Brandon Bell/Getty
Brandon Bell/Getty
The former presidential candidate also cited a “rallying effect” Trump, 77, experienced following hismany headline-making indictments.
“I think he had strong support from Fox and conservative media, and so structurally, that was just something that was very difficult to deal with,” he said, noting that he attempted to combat it with an “on-the-ground” approach in Iowa.
Added DeSantis: “We did do a good job with that, but I think there were so many people who weren’t even checked into the process.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority Policy Conference in D.C.Sipa via AP Images
Sipa via AP Images
DeSantis did not cite any other reasons (such as hiscontroversial Florida lawsandvery public battle with Disney, both of which earned him nationwide criticism) while discussing his campaign’s downfall.
Also unmentioned was the frequent ribbing he received from fellow politicians, namely Trump, as well as online, where his awkward and“sassy” campaign behaviorwas consistently memed.
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DeSantis suspended his 2024 presidential campaign — and endorsed Trump — on Sunday.
He continued, “We don’t have a clear path to victory. Accordingly, I am today suspending my campaign.”
“It’s clear to me that a majority of Republican primary voters want to give Donald Trump another chance,” DeSantis then noted, adding: “He has my endorsement because we can’t go back to the old Republican guard of yesteryear, a repackaged form of warmed-over corporatism thatNikki Haleyrepresents.”
source: people.com
