DeSantis Admits He Dug His Own Grave With Anti-Media Brigade
“I should have gone on everything,” DeSantis admitted on a radio show on Thursday.
Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday seemed to finally accept a fact that presidential candidates have pocketed for decades: a person aspiring to be president of the U.S. cannot run as a candidate for president of Fox News viewers alone.
DeSantis told radio host Hugh Hewitt that he regretted his early shunning of mainstream media outlets, acknowledging he should have made himself more accessible to a wider swath of potential voters. “I came in not really doing as much media,” DeSantis told Hewitt. “I should have just been blanketing. I should have gone on all the corporate shows. I should have gone on everything.”
DeSantis launched his campaign with a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk marred by technological glitches. He initially avoided most opportunities to chat with traditional media organizations such as CNN and NBC News in favor of friendlier conservative outlets, but he reversed his course last summer after sagging poll numbers and staff layoffs.
“We had an opportunity, I think, to come out of the gate and do that and reach a much broader folk,” DeSantis said on Thursday. “Now, I’m everywhere. I mean, I’ll show up wherever.”
In the run-up to the Iowa caucuses, DeSantis appeared with Nikki Haley for a CNN debate and sat for interviews with CNN and NBC. He was also the only candidate to agree to ABC and CNN debates in New Hampshire this week, which Haley bucked over Donald Trump’s refusal to participate. The events were both canceled this week.
The reflection came as DeSantis’ presidential campaign remained ever so slightly above water following a second-place finish in Iowa on Monday, though he still trails both Trump and Haley in New Hampshire.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.