'He Always Looks Awkward': Ron DeSantis Suffers Criticism From Staffers Over Lack of Charisma on Campaign Trail
June 12 2023, Published 7:55 a.m. ET
Ron DeSantis is facing criticism from his own campaign staffers over concerns about his lack of charisma and temperament on the campaign trail, RadarOnline.com has learned.
While currently in a distant second place behind former President Donald Trump in opinion polls, DeSantis is being urged by his staff to meet and take more questions from ordinary voters to improve his electability ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
The Florida Governor has so far shied away from Q&A sessions on the road.
Additionally, DeSantis has avoided media scrutiny at a number of public events and even exploded at one reporter in New Hampshire who asked why he failed to take questions from the audience – an incident that raised further doubts about his temperament.
“He just needs to chill out a bit and be less stiff,” one DeSantis insider said this weekend, according to Daily Mail. “He always looks awkward and needs to get out and meet more people.”
DeSantis' presentational style has also reportedly caused concern among his staffers after the Florida governor-turned-presidential hopeful was overshadowed by his wife, Casey, at a number of recent rallies.
Casey, a former TV reporter, is his most trusted political adviser. Her polished and comfortable demeanor around voters and journalists seems to only highlight her husband's struggles.
“If his wife is a former TV reporter and she can’t teach him, who can?” said another source close to DeSantis’ campaign.
DeSantis' campaign advisers are now analyzing ways for the GOP politician to overcome his rigid appearance in the eyes of potential voters, including more trips to small-town diners and holding more intimate meetings with smaller groups of voters.
Meanwhile, and as RadarOnline.com previously reported, DeSantis continues to suffer attacks and criticism from his most formidable 2024 challenger: former President Trump.
Trump most recently hit out at DeSantis during remarks at the North Carolina state GOP convention this past weekend. The embattled former president admitted he is "not nice" to the Florida governor.
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump 2024 campaign, said that DeSantis had struggled to connect with voters since announcing his presidential run last month.
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"Ron DeSanctimonious’s fundamental problem is that he doesn’t like people,” Miller charged. “That’s a real challenge when you’re running for president."
According to an average calculated by Real Clear Politics, DeSantis remains more than 30 percentage points behind Trump in the polls.
However, there is still a glimmer of hope for DeSantis, with one survey showing him gaining on the former president in the battleground state of Iowa.
