Rivals' very different styles on display
DAVENPORT, IOWA >> In his first trip to Iowa this year, Ron DeSantis did not take any questions from voters. He largely ignored the local press. He avoided the diners, pizza parlors and ice cream shops that have helped presidential contenders in the leadoff voting state showcase their personal appeal and charisma for decades.
For DeSantis, a leading Republican presidential prospect, it was simply business as usual.
The hard-charging Florida governor has emerged as a potent force in national politics while eschewing the personal connections, intimate moments and unscripted questions that have long fueled successful White House bids in the states that sit atop the presidential primary calendar. And as DeSantis begins to introduce himself to primary voters in the weeks leading up to his expected announcement, he is showing little interest in changing his ways.
Allies insist he doesn't need to adjust anything, pointing to his dominant 19-point reelection victory last fall. But already, his Republican rivals — led by former President Donald Trump — are working to highlight the governor's go-it-alone approach and impersonal style by leaning into their own personal interactions on the campaign trail.
The risks for DeSantis are becoming increasingly obvious in smaller rural states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, which will host three of the first four presidential primary contests in 2024.
“No one's gotten to know him the way they need to get to know him. I don't know if they ever will,” New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, himself a potential candidate, said of DeSantis during a recent interview. “Do you think Ron DeSantis has ever sat down for a cup of coffee with a reporter? No. It's like physically not in him. He can't do it. He doesn't have that social connection with folks.”
Perhaps no one is paying closer attention than Trump, who views DeSantis as his only real rival for the Republican presidential nomination.
While DeSantis has taken a cloistered approach, Trump has been maximizing his interactions with voters and the press as he begins to visit early voting states — an effort that aides say is part of a larger push to contrast Trump's strengths with DeSantis' perceived weaknesses.
During his first real day of campaigning in late January, Trump stopped by a beloved fried chicken and burger joint in West Columbia, South Carolina. He posed for photos with patrons and ordered a chocolate-dipped ice cream.
One of the workers behind the counter offered Trump an impromptu prayer, and the moment went viral. After seeing the extraordinary response, the campaign leaned in.
It quickly planned a visit to East Palestine, Ohio, to meet with residents and local officials affected by a toxic train derailment. Before leaving, Trump stopped at a local McDonald's, where he signed autographs, passed out red “Make America Great Again” caps and ordered food for his staff and first responders.
“I know this menu better than you do,” he told the smiling cashier.
In Iowa on Monday, Trump directed his motorcade to make a quick stop at the Machine Shed Restaurant, a longtime fixture in the eastern city of Davenport.
“So, how's the food here?” he boomed as he strolled in, shocking patrons and leaving the staff giggling in delight.
Trump shook hands, slapped backs and posed for pictures with anyone who wanted one.
While such scenes were hardly common during Trump's first two campaigns, the former president is taking a new approach as he wages his third presidential bid. The professional host and career gladhander relishes personal interactions with supporters, and even longtime critics acknowledge his charisma in one-on-one interactions.
Such stops give voters “a way to see the president in a different light,” said Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung.
“Usually they see him on camera or at a rally or in an interview. They don't necessarily get to see him up close,” he said. “And this is one way to bridge that gap. And it's also one way to make this campaign more distinct.”