Leaked DeSantis Debate Prep Video Portrays Him as Awkward, Nervous About ‘Pissing Off’ Trump Voters

A leaked video of Governor DeSantis preparing for a 2018 gubernatorial debate provided another opportunity for Republicans to espouse their support for President Trump while portraying Mr. DeSantis as awkward.The video in question features Mr. DeSantis practicing for a 2018 debate with Congressman Matt Gaetz and others, discussing how he can square his voting record with his praise for President Trump.“Is there any issue upon which you disagree with President Trump?” Mr. DeSantis is asked in the video.“Obviously there is, because I’ve voted contrary to him… I have to frame it in a way that’s not going to piss off all of his voters,” Mr. DeSantis responded. “So what I do is I do what I think is right. I support his agenda in terms of what he’s been able to do.”Later in the video, Mr. DeSantis is shown listening to a coach, who tells him that, “I think when you walk up there if you have a pad you have to write in all caps at the top of the pad ‘LIKABLE.’”“I do the same thing because we have the same personality,” the coach adds. “We’re both aggressive.”The video, going viral online, hit Mr. DeSantis on two topics that have become repeated pain points for his presidential ambitions — Mr. DeSantis’s relationship with Mr. Trump and the Florida GOP, and his awkwardness on stage.The video is another reminder of the lack of support for Mr. DeSantis from the Florida Congressional delegation. Two of the state’s most prominent House members on the Republican side weighed in on the leaked video, criticizing the leaker but reiterating their support for Mr. Trump.Mr. Gaetz, who is present in some of the video, condemned the staffers who leaked the video, saying that they “deserve the reputations they get” but took the chance to restate his support for Mr. Trump as well.“Though I prefer Trump for President (bigly), the release of these videos by the person operating the camera is disloyal hackery that I do not abide,” Mr. Gaetz said.Another of the state’s prominent congressmen, Representative Byron Donalds, drew a similar line, condemning the staffers but refusing to come to the governor’s defense. Mr. Donalds has endorsed Mr. Trump for president in 2024.“I was on the DeSantis Debate prep team,” Mr. Donalds said. “These tapes should not have been leaked. It’s low class.”Although it’s not known who leaked the videos, or if the leaker is associated with Mr. Trump and his campaign, the leak highlighted an aspect of Mr. Trump’s strategy — publicly gaining the support of Mr. DeSantis’s allies.A professor of political science at John Jay College, Brian Arbour, says leaks like this remind Republican politicians and elites that betraying Mr. Trump comes at a cost.“Certainly there is always a well-earned sense among Republicans that betraying Donald Trump has clear costs,” Mr. Arbour tells the Sun. “To me this seems more of a perpetuation of that strategy than targeting voters.”The video also hit on another aspect of Mr. DeSantis’s candidacy that has been a sore spot for his campaign in the press and on the trail — his perceived awkwardness.This aspect of Mr. DeSantis’s stage presence was most recently in the news in his visit to Japan, when a question on his sagging poll numbers elicited a response that made headlines for its clumsiness.“I’m not a candidate, so we’ll see if and when that changes,” Mr. DeSantis said after appearing to struggle for a response to the question.While incidents like the one in Japan are just a flash in the pan in a years long campaign, they raise questions about whether Mr. DeSantis is up to the task of taking on Mr. Trump in the national spotlight.According to Mr. Arbour, the matchup between Mr. Trump and Mr. DeSantis is lining up to be one about personality versus policy and at the moment, Mr. Trump and his personality centric approach appear to be winning.“Good politicians do a good job of building trust among people and that makes them more popular,” Mr. Arbour said. “Less adroit politicians have to make up the difference with policy.”

Leaked DeSantis Debate Prep Video Portrays Him as Awkward, Nervous About ‘Pissing Off’ Trump Voters

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