
It’s been five months since Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis launched his presidential campaign and he still can’t quite make the argument why voters should pick him over Donald Trump.
That’s a big problem!
CNN anchor Kaitlin Collins challenged DeSantis on that point Thursday night, raising the question of Trump’s character (or lack thereof).
But the gay-hating Florida governor wouldn’t go there on the one-term, twice-impeached, quadruply-indicted ex-president… despite being down in the polls by 46 points.
Come on, sister! What’ve you got to lose?!?
“That’s not answering the question about Trump’s character,” Collins says at the start of the clip.
“That’s not a concern of mine,” replies DeSantis.
The former White House reporter then asks the natural follow up: “Why is it not a concern?”
As Collins explains, DeSantis is running against Trump. Doesn’t that mean he thinks he’s a better choice?
First, the flailing candidate deflects.
“Because I clearly believe I would be a better president than he is. I don’t need to take potshots at his character,” he says.
To her credit, Collins keeps pressing the issue.
“It’s not potshots. The character of a president matters, does it not?” she asks.
Finally, DeSantis kind of answers… with cliches.
“I think I would be a better president,” he says. “The reasons are, I have a demonstrated record of delivering on 100% of my promises like I did in Florida. I’d be focused, I’d be disciplined. I’m not gonna be distracted. It’s not gonna be about my issues. It’s gonna be about the American people’s issues, day after day.”
While that sounds good, DeSantis isn’t exactly living up to his words. For example, his administration is currently mired in a prolonged legal feud with Disney, Florida’s largest private employer and tourism provider.
The company dared to publicly criticize Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, propelling him to place cronies on the company’s board of development.
They stripped Disney of its special tax privileges and eliminated employees’ free park passes. The latter move propelled outrage among Disney’s firefighters, the same everyday people whom DeSantis claims to fight for.
Instead of fixing pressing issues like Florida’s affordability and home insurance crises, he has focused on attacking LGBTQ+ people, kids, and their families. Many of his hateful policies, by the way, are being struck down in court.
So, yeah, DeSantis hasn’t delivered on 100% of his promises, either.
Not that anybody cares. Nobody is seriously considering him for president. Did we mention he’s almost down by 50 points?
Right on cue, Collins again brings up his sagging poll numbers.
“Why is that message not resonating with Republican viewers?” she asks.
DeSantis, whose campaign is now downplaying the importance of winning, stammers through yet another losing answer.
“I think it is,” he said. “When you get on the ground in Iowa, for example. There’s 99 counties. The tradition is to do all 99, they call it the ‘Full Grassley.’ I’ve done 83 of the 99.”
“A lot of these counties, they’ll be counties where there’s maybe a few thousand people, we’ll get a hundred people to show up at an event. You shake the hands, you answer questions. That’s not something you’re necessarily going to see in polling, that’s something that comes out when people make their decisions to caucus.”
Oh yes, the ol’ “my support isn’t registered in the polls” excuse. Do you know who would say something like that?
Somebody who’s not doing well in the polls!
He looks tiny there. Guess they wouldn’t give him a booster seat.
— Mary Mauro (@CitizenMauro) October 27, 2023
He doesn’t like taking pot shots at people, since when?
— ⭐️ Merrily awaiting ⭐️ (@MerrillLynched) October 27, 2023
Despite transferring roughly one third of his remaining staffers to Iowa and spending $2 million on TV ads, DeSantis is still polling waaaaay behind Trump in the Hawkeye State. The disgraced ex-president enjoys 49% of support, while DeSantis clocks in at 17%.
Nationally, the gap is even wider. Trump leads the field with 58% of support, and DeSantis is sitting at 12%.
New polls show that Nikki Haley is right behind him, with 11% of the vote. Unlike DeSantis, she’s actually seeing her support increase, not decrease. Though her chances of clinching the party’s nomination still appear highly unlikely.
It is incredible that Trump maintains such an insurmountable lead, considering he’s spending his days melting down in a New York City court room rather than campaigning.
And yet, he’s still crushing DeSantis.
Come on, “Meatball Ron.” It’s time to punch back. Or, better yet, drop out!
abfab
That horrid, fat face! He always looks like he just sat on a whoopie cushion. Or, a deer in the headlights. Take your pick.
abfab
Iowa has 99 counties. Hey, kids! I bet none of you knew THAT! Thanks, Governor Asshole.
Baron Wiseman
Good for him! Not taking the biased “journalists” bait because as all good Americans know, Trump is the big, bad Boogeyman as we have been told by our betters ad nauseam.
“Somebody’s not doing well in the polls!” Exactly, Queerty.
Trump trails Biden by only 9 points in New York after losing by 23 in 2020. Biden’s Gallup approval ratings dropped 11 points among Democrats in one month. Trump leads Biden by 4 points among swing state voters.
As many of us have recently learned the Democratic Party is full of Nazis. Biden faces new resistance from an energized faction of his party that views the Palestinian cause an extension of the racial and social justice movement.
dbmcvey
Please. He’s terrified of Trump. He’s afraid to go after him and because of that he can’t give a reason why anyone should vote for him over Trump.
The Nazi line is just stupid. You’re a stupid person.
dbmcvey
Especially because there are ACTUAL Nazis in the Republican Party.
Baron Wiseman
@dbmcvey
Dear Obnoxia,
It’s not Republicans having protests supporting the Palestinians. It’s Democrats that are supporting the Nazis atrocities of beheading babies, taking hostages, raping women until their pelvis breaks and burning families alive.
dbmcvey
Baron is so dumb. It wasn’t Democrats chanting “The Jews Will Not Replace Us” what a lying hypocrite you are.
Fname Optional Lname
He is just scared to say anything truthful that is negative about Trump because if Trump starts lashing out he will get beaten down even harder in the polls. They were not “baiting” him – they asked the questions everyone wants to know. If he thinks he would be a better President than Trump he must have reasons behind those beliefs. His answers are typical politician response 101 but we all know when Trump started calling him “Meatball Ron” and attacked him in the media Ron did not respond because he knows his political career wouldn’t survive giving Trump a taste of his own medicine.
Fahd
I was waiting for DeSaster to come out and say, “Please stop interrupting my prepared remarks with your questions”.
What does he do when he loses bigly in the first primaries and then loses bigly, bigly in the Florida primary?
Maybe a weekly report on DeSaster would be enough for the Queerty audience. It would be for me.
abfab
It’s amazing how much money this YOUNG fool who can’t govern, FreddieW, wastes on his own shallow career. But he’s YOUNG, so Freddie’s cool with him.
Mister P
It is beyond me how someone can see democrats supporting the Palestinian people and think they support beheading babies.
Go stick it Baron.
Baron Wiseman
@Mister P
A little cognitive dissonance, Mr. P?
All the Palestinian protests around the country; major liberal cities, college campuses, etc. Who do you think those anti-Semites voted for?
(Hint: They didn’t vote for the Republican)
Mack
Baron Wiseman how much are you getting paid to come in spout total bullshit? You do it day after day and sound like a total fool. You’re not any member of the LGBTQ Community, you’re a troll.
Baron Wiseman
@Mack
Golly Mack, if I didn’t know better I would think you were trying to hurt my feelings. Calling people names isn’t much of an argument. Also, I have been a member of this community since I came out 1983, Mr. Diversity-Lover.
abfab
Golly. Oh Mario, not you again. Different name, same douchebag.
Openminded
Obviously, DeSantis thinks not speaking ill of Trump will get him a VP invite. May actually happen, IDK, but as I stated when DeSantis and Don’t say gay first started, DeSantis is a bigger threat to both this community and this country than Trump will ever be. Trump is losing his mind while DeSantis is just getting started with his cruelties.
Baron Wiseman
@Openminded
Curious, aside all the hyperbole, as a gay man what “cruelties” has Governor DeSantis exhibited? I know we are supposed to hate him, but as a gay man why am I suppose to hate him?
(Keep in mind, I have no desire to dance suggestively in drag in front of minors, nor talk to grade school children that I don’t know about their sexuality.)
abfab
Gay? Don’t make us laugh.
Baron Wiseman
@abfab
That’s it!?! That’s all you got?
I ask a genuine, legitimate question and I can’t get a genuine, legitimate answer.
abfab
Yes.
Baron Wiseman
@abfab
As I suspected.
dbmcvey
Oxymoron has now, several times, said “as a gay man” as though most of us posting on this site aren’t gay men. I have to question why he keeps needing to affirm that. It doesn’t give him any more credence than anyone else here.
dbmcvey
And, dumb a s s, he’s trying to take away our rights so, as a gay man, yes, you should hate him. But, since you’re not really a gay man we don’t expect you to get that.
Baron Wiseman
@dbmcvey
Could you be a little more specific? What right is Governor DeSantis trying to take away from me?
Mister P
Dick Santis is afraid of trump supporters not trump.
abfab
He’s afraid of his own shadow. And his bitchy wife who BTW will not need to go to any great lengths to look scary on Halloween.
cuteguy
Pudding fingers is a male version of Sarah Palin
DeeAnnCA
Both of them make Dan Quayle look smart…
CNY1983
ron, sit in front of a mirror and say “dont monkey it up”, because thats exactly what youre doing.
DeeAnnCA
Well, he’s consistent. Every time he appears, he continues to lower my expectations. Must be a gift…