(USNewsMag.com) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is running for the 2024 Republican nomination for president, is being criticized over his response to questions about the upcoming Republican primary debate.
On Aug. 19, DeSantis was asked about his campaign communication director Andrew Romero’s suggestion that the other 2024 candidates would have their “knives out” for DeSantis during the first Republican primary debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
DeSantis was also asked about a memo from the Never Back Down PAC that stated DeSantis should “take a sledgehammer” to candidate Vivek Ramaswamy during the debate. It was also suggested that during the debate, DeSantis should defend Trump from former New Jersey governor and candidate Chris Christie. In some polls, Ramaswamy has been polling ahead of DeSantis, in second place behind former President Donald Trump.
DeSantis responded that he had not read the memo because it was not his. He added that “in terms of the debate,” he has “been more attacked than anybody else.
Users on social media quickly noticed that while answering Fox News’ questions, DeSantis appeared to smile nervously as well as grind his teeth and clench his jaw.
On Twitter, Ron Filipkowski posted that “he’s broken. Crushed. It’s over.”
Some users also compared DeSantis to the supervillain Homelander from the Amazon TV series The Boys.
DeSantis has previously been criticized for his awkwardness as well as his lack of charisma. DeSantis’ face was superimposed over a Black Sun, which was used in the upper echelons of the Third Reich, in an early campaign video. The campaign staff member who created the video was fired.
DeSantis has also been criticized for questioning a child about their Icee’s sugar content, heckled by Trump supporters, dropping the entry fee for a beer-drinking campaign event to $1, and posting a campaign ad that compared himself to the fictional serial killer Patrick Bateman.
Despite Trump’s legal issues, political commentators note that DeSantis struggles to gain on the former president in the polls.
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