“I should have done everything”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has belatedly realized that he should have made a lot more media appearances before his campaign.

Speaking to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, he acknowledged as much his performance in Iowa this past week might have been better if he had done the work needed.

“I spent a lot of time on the ground in Iowa, and it's good. And when you meet people, you convert them,” he said. “But there are so many voters out there that you have to. And I came in not really doing that much media. I should have just been covering. Should have attended all the corporate shows. I should have continued with everything.”

Listen:

“I should have been covering. I should have gone to every company [news] shows. I should have done everything … I think we had an opportunity to get out of the gate and do it and reach a much wider town.”

— Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) tells Hugh Hewitt pic.twitter.com/uX9xpo0kpx

— The Recount (@therecount) January 18, 2024

He added that it didn't dawn on him that he would have to change his media strategy until late summer.

“I started doing it when we got to the end of the summer and we did it. But I think we had an opportunity to get out of the gate and do it and reach a much wider town,” he noted .

That said, he argued that things are different now.

“Now, I'm all over the place,” he said. “I mean, I'll show up wherever it is. I committed to the debate tonight on WMUR and ABC in New Hampshire. I'm the only one who's willing to debate. I've done these televised town halls. I go out and take questions from voters.” .

“You know, I think that's good. I'm the only one who's not campaigning in the basement right now. Biden is campaigning in the basement. Trump won't debate, he won't take questions from voters. And now, Haley won't even debate will take questions from voters,” he continued.

In response to DeSantis' remarks, critics found several additional reasons why they believe he failed in Iowa:

He should have run his campaign like Vivek. Don't piss off the party base. Live to fight another day.

— B Rodgers (@bnrgator) January 19, 2024

Honestly, their whole online vibe was wrong, all the “influencers” who came out swinging after spending a weekend in Florida. It wasn't eco-friendly, it was too aggressive to the point where it looked bought.

— Rosie Memos (@almostjingo) January 19, 2024

De Santis could have leaned on the reality that he's not as “cool” or alpha as Trump, which would be authentic, and then focused entirely on his results versus Trump's. It wouldn't necessarily have made him win, but it would have been better.

— Todd Andrews (@ToddAndrews44) January 19, 2024

I think his main deal breaker went on to mock Trump for stolen election claims, validating Biden's 81 votes and criticizing J6. He thought he could introduce Trump without the drama and bring MAGA. It failed miserably

— Julie Jonas (@JulieJonas18) January 19, 2024

I'll tell you Ron didn't pick a lane. We know Haley's lane. Ron impersonated MAGA and co-opted President Trump's policies. Okay, okay, he's the cheap trick. But then he got mad at MAGA and President Trump. He literally pissed off the voters he needed to. The worst campaign ever.

— Hollywood Resistance (@ResistItAllTX) January 19, 2024

But not everyone thinks DeSantis ran an inferior or even bad campaign. Conservative commentator Kurt Schlichter argued Thursday that the Florida governor could never alienate Trump's staunch supporters from him.

“What was the One Neat Trick RDS could have accomplished that would have made people abandon Trump?” Schlichter he wrote. “Say more bad things about him? Did you increase it by 72%? Smile more? His campaign, like any other campaign, made some mistakes. None changed the essential fact: voters are still Trump.”

He added that, at this point, he doesn't see a way forward for DeSantis.

“I see no way for Ron DeSantis to win,” he wrote. “New Hampshire's primary voter roll is full of Democrats and suburban wine women. South Carolina loves Trump. What's the state after this where he's not just going to come back, he's going to come back like a tsunami?”

“I just don't see it, and it doesn't make me happy to say it. But I have to say what I think. And I think Iowa has made it clear that the base intends to ride Donald J. Trump to the finish line,” he continued.

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a BizPac Review staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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