His poll numbers have slid. His competition has grown. His campaign’s controversial ads have scared off supporters. His top super PAC has grown concerned. “We are way behind,” its spokesperson said last week.
This confluence of conundrums has forced even Fox News to confront Ron DeSantis.
“What’s going on with your campaign?” Maria Bartiromo, a reliable Fox News host for softball questions, asked DeSantis on Sunday. “There was a lot of optimism about you running for president earlier in the year, but here’s this weekend’s headline from Politico Playbook.”
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Bartiromo began listing Politico headlines from the last week, including his Never Back Down PAC’s “way behind” comment. “What happened?” she pressed.
DeSantis tried to laugh off Bartiromo’s concern, his first snicker coming at the mention of a national news outlet. (DeSantis has still strayed away from interviews with publications outside of the conservative media spectrum.)
“Maria, these are narratives,” he said. “The media does not want me to be the nominee. I think that’s very, very clear. Why? Because they know I’ll beat Biden, but even more importantly, they know I will actually deliver on all these things.”
DeSantis then tried to explain his current standing, noting his eventual sweep during his re-election campaign last year and the seven months pending before the Iowa caucuses.
“We’ve got a long way to go,” he said. “I’m looking forward to being able to participate in the debates, but this is not something that, you know, I ever expected to just snap fingers and all of a sudden, you know, you win seven months before anything happens. You’ve got to work, and it requires a lot of toil and tears and sweat, and we’re going to do that.”
Bartiromo seemed satisfied with DeSantis’ answer, even trying to pivot to how he’d differentiate himself from Donald Trump regarding supposed corruption in the Justice Department. However, she couldn’t seem to avoid letting out one last dig at DeSantis before her next question.
“I want to look at this poll number as we go into this first primary debate, ask you how you’re preparing for the debate,” Bartiromo said, citing a recent Fox News poll. “Look where Donald Trump is going into this debate, above 50 percent—at 56 percent! You’re at 22 percent, according to this poll.”
