Desantis ‘hides from voters and eats like an animal’
The probable White House challenger is a darling of the Right-wing but is said to be socially awkward
RON DESANTIS is shying away from voters, hiding behind his wife and putting people off with his eating habits, staffers say, as his popularity slides in the polls.
Critics say the 44-year-old Florida governor and probable Trump opponent appears to lack charisma and is socially awkward, with observers citing an incident when he ate chocolate pudding with three fingers.
Mr Desantis, a former prosecutor, is expected to announce a run for the 2024 election. He has managed to harness conservative anger over culture war issues and rise to become an anti“woke” darling of the Right-wing.
However, critics have begun to question whether he lacks the charisma needed to turn his obvious statewide popularity into national appeal.
In the critical early primary states of New Hampshire and Iowa, candidates will need to demonstrate their ability to engage voters on a one-to-one level.
His ability to connect on the campaign trail has been questioned by staff and former staff in an investigation by the Daily Beast, an American website.
Mr Desantis has embraced a “Tallahassee basement strategy, mirroring that of Biden in 2020, where he hides from press and real voters,” one Republican strategist said, referring to the Florida city Mr Desantis sits in office.
The Daily Telegraph spoke to former members of Mr Desantis’s office about his style. “You will be in the car with Ron and he’ll say nothing to you for an hour,” one said. “He prefers it that way.”
Those who have worked with him say he is a natural introvert who has the ability to turn the charisma on when needed. Observers note that Mr Desantis tends to steer clear of the meet-and
greets and avoids the so-called retail politics that Mr Trump excels at.
At a Republican Party event in Texas, supporters paid to hear Mr Desantis discuss his latest book in a more intimate group. However, he spent only a few minutes with the pared-down crowd before escaping out a back door, irritating some in attendance.
At other public events the governor has leaned heavily on Casey, his wife and a former TV news anchor. Several former staffers claim almost everything
he does is scripted. Francis Rooney, a former congressman and an influential donor, told Politico: “He is what he is. So what he needs to do is organise his campaign to minimise that characteristic.”
One report commented on some of his apparent awkwardness . He would sit in meetings and eat in front of people,” a former staffer said. “Always like a starving animal who has never eaten before… getting s--- everywhere.”
While Mr Trump has taken aim at his one-time protégé and now chief rival,
calling him “Ron Desanctimonious” and “Meatball Ron”, Mr Desantis and his team have failed to respond.
In surveys taken since the former president began his offensive, the governor has steadily lost ground. One poll showed Mr Trump making gains over the past month, with his lead growing by 12 points. This is down considerably from the midterms, where Mr Desantis won reelection by double digits.
One pundit told The Telegraph that his recent posturing on Ukraine may
further harm him. Mr Desantis this week told Fox News he considered Russia’s invasion as a “territorial dispute”.
Reed Galen, co-founder of The Lincoln Project, a political action committee made up of Republicans, pointed out that the view put Desantis at odds with around half of his supporters.
However, the governor could still enjoy a rebound in the build-up to the GOP primaries, as the survey gave him a 72-6 favourability rating among conservatives.