Alert the media
Somebody’s regretting betting on the wrong horse:
A top spokesperson for Ron DeSantis’ super PAC is sounding a decidedly dour note on the Florida governor’s presidential prospects, saying his campaign is facing an “uphill battle” and is trailing badly in the key nominating states.
Steve Cortes, who previously supported Donald Trump, also heaped praise on the former president, calling him a “runaway frontrunner” and “maestro” of the debate.
“Right now in national polling we are way behind, I’ll be the first to admit that,” Cortes said in a Twitter spaces event that was recorded on Sunday night. “I believe in being blunt and honest. It’s an uphill battle but clearly Donald Trump is the runaway frontrunner.”
Calling the DeSantis campaign the “clear underdog,” he added: “In the first four states which matter tremendously, polls are a lot tighter, we are still clearly down. We’re down double digits, we have work to do.”
DeSantis said the opposite last week.
Ooops…
The remarks amounted to a remarkably blunt admission of vulnerability from within the ranks of a leading presidential operation, contrasting with the projection of confidence that other DeSantis aides often adopt. Cortes did say he thought the gap between Trump and DeSantis could be closed once DeSantis’ personal and political story is shared more widely on the campaign trail. But he also rationalized a DeSantis primary campaign failure by predicting healthy competition could benefit Trump in a general election.
“If we do not prevail — and I have every intent on winning, I didn’t sign up for this to come in second — but if we do not prevail I will tell you this, we will make President Trump better for having this kind of primary,” Cortes said.
Good luck with that Steve. I’m sure Trump is very grateful.
When asked about his comments, Cortes responded in an email that Trump “has debated through two successive presidential cycles, so of course he possesses a lot of experience in that arena. But I am convinced that Governor DeSantis will outperform expectations and inform large audiences about his amazing life, political record, and winning agenda for the presidency.“
Actually, it seems to be the opposite. The more people see of him, the less they like him.
This next would normally be seen as standard expectations lowering for a debate, but in DeSantis’ case it happens to be true. He is a terrible debater. So this is really just Trump fluffing:
Next month, the 2024 Republican field will have the opportunity to square off in a debate hosted by the Republican National Committee and moderated by Fox News. But Trump has made clear he is unlikely to join. Cortes said it would be a “great disservice” if Trump didn’t debate. But he also suggested that DeSantis might benefit from his absence.
“Is Ron the debater that Trump is?” he said. “No, no he isn’t.”
“Absolutely Donald Trump is the maestro of it right, no doubt about it, right. When he gets on the debate stage, you know, and on his feet, in front of a microphone, he debates like Jack Nicklaus played golf, there’s no doubt about it,” Cortes said.
In addition to providing some of the most candid observations about the race from within the DeSantis camp, Cortes talked about some of the personal attacks and backlash he faced for choosing to endorse the Florida governor over Trump.
“I was honored to work for [Trump],” he said.
But he added, “I believe we can be reasonable about where he fell short and what the path is moving forward.
Basically, he conceded defeat. CNN’s Dana Bash opined that Cortes was actually trying to publicly wake up DeSantis (who is definitely not “woke”) because Super Pacs are not allowed to coordinate with the Governor. Nah. This was Cortes seeing the writing on the wall and attempting to save his career.
It might even work. If he grovels enough and licks Trump’s boots with enough enthusiasm, he might get back in his good graces, especially if he has some dirt to share with the Trump campaign, But he’s going to have to work at it. I’d say he’s off to a good start. Calling Trump a “maestro” at debating is *chef’s kiss*