Matt Gaetz defends Ron DeSantis after debate preparation footage leak
Ryan King
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Firebrand Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) jumped to Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R-FL) defense amid leaked footage of the governor’s 2018 debate preparations.
Gaez, who has already endorsed former President Donald Trump for president in 2024, criticized the leaker for being disloyal. The footage showcased DeSantis workshopping responses with aides to a number of anticipated debate questions.
IF DESANTIS GETS IN, HIS FIRST TASK WILL BE STOPPING THE POLLING SLIDE
“I ran the Desantis Debate Prep in 2018. 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. Staffers who leak on the candidates they’ve done work for deserve the reputations they get,” Gaetz tweeted.
https://twitter.com/mattgaetz/status/1655212072282587136
In the footage, DeSantis was seen grappling with how to answer delicate questions about his attitude toward Trump and how forceful to be with conservative issues such as guns.
“Obviously there is because, I mean, I voted contrary to him in the Congress,” DeSantis said at one point during a question about his differences with Trump, footage obtained by ABC showed. “I have to frame it in a way that’s not going to piss off all his voters.”
At another point, an adviser stressed to DeSantis that he should write the word “LIKABLE” in his notes to avoid coming off too abrasive before voters.
The footage comes amid an ABC report that the Florida governor is undergoing preparations for the 2024 GOP primary debates, seeing them as paramount to his primary chances.
Trump has publicly raised questions about whether he will participate in the debates, raising the likelihood that DeSantis will be the top Republican onstage in Milwaukee this August. That could make DeSantis a prime target for lower-polling hopefuls.
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DeSantis is expected to make his 2024 intentions known soon now that the Florida legislature has wrapped up its session. He is already loaded up with considerable financial firepower at his disposal should he enter the arena.
The first debate is slated to be hosted by Fox News, and a second debate has been announced for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, though additional details have not yet been revealed.