Republicans are calling on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to reset his media strategy, arguing that a broader focus on traditional and traditional news organizations is needed to counter former President Donald Trump and define the 2024 race in the same terms as DeSantis.
Florida’s governor has for years entrenched himself largely in the world of conservative media — Fox News, Newsmax and a host of friendly, right-wing outlets — though he often clashes with more mainstream organizations and journalists.
But with Trump embarking on a more aggressive media campaign, even DeSantis’ allies say he may have to rethink and repair his relationship with the press if he hopes to shape the narrative of his likely 2024 presidential campaign.
“I would like to see DeSantis expand his media achievements to include more mainstream media,” said Dan Eberhart, a Republican donor who is supporting DeSantis for the GOP nomination in 2024. “I certainly understand the temptation to join -se in conservative outlets, but he needs to broaden his message so he can attract more people to his store.”
Another donor leaning toward supporting DeSantis said the Florida governor “doesn’t need to play nice with CNN” or other networks.
“You go to these shows, you do these interviews to show that you can handle the media,” the donor said. “No one did more mainstream media than Donald Trump in 2016, but the base credited him for simultaneously confronting media bias.”
DeSantis is not yet a candidate, though all signs point to a likely campaign. He spent Saturday attending GOP fundraising events in Iowa, and his Tallahassee-based political shop moved from Florida Republican Party headquarters to a new office this week. A formal campaign announcement could come as early as late May.
DeSantis’ team has also begun inviting major donors and supporters to Miami later this month, according to a person familiar with the plans, offering just one more sign that a likely campaign is approaching.
DeSantis is no stranger to the media. Major networks, newspapers and magazines cover his political rise for months, even years.
But he has also withstood weeks of attacks from Trump and his allies, and his poll numbers have fizzled in recent months, with some Republicans saying it’s time for the governor to take a more direct approach with the media to regain control of their politics. narrative
“I don’t think anyone would argue that coverage of DeSantis has been very good in recent weeks, in part because he doesn’t engage with the media,” said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist who served as the senator’s communications director. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). .) Presidential Campaign 2016. “The media will cover you whether you like it or not, but shaping the coverage actually requires engaging with them.”
A spokesman for DeSantis’ political operation declined to comment for this story.
Meanwhile, Trump has embraced the media, just as he did during his successful 2016 presidential campaign, intent on staying in the news as much as possible. In recent weeks, he sat down for an interview with the popular “Full Send” podcast, participated in a CNN town hall, and gave an interview to The Messenger, a newly launched news startup.
Conant said Trump’s enthusiastic approach to the media may be helping his chances.
“I think part of the reason Donald Trump is doing better in the polls is because he’s gone back to his 2016 strategy of involving the media at every turn,” Conant said. “It’s not just CNN’s town hall. It’s bringing print reporters on their plane and sitting down for interviews that I wouldn’t have done in 2020.”
“He understands that to improve his coverage he has to insert his message and that requires commitment.”
Trump isn’t the only 2024 contender hitting the media circuit.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is moving toward a presidential campaign, said in interviews with ABC and CNN; Sen. Tim Scott (R.C.), who will announce a bid next week, met with NBC News and CBS News. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy has given countless interviews to various newspapers and television channels.
For his part, DeSantis has long had a contentious, sometimes downright hostile relationship with traditional and legacy media, often accusing prominent organizations and journalists of bias and reporting inaccuracies. That same year, he pushed the state legislature this year to pass a measure that would make it easier for media organizations to sue, though the legislation never passed.
However, DeSantis has a team of communications professionals lining up behind him.
Never Back Down, the main super PAC backing the governor for the 2024 nomination, as well as DeSantis’ own political team, have brought in several veteran communications staffers to handle media relations and outreach. Key members of the Governor’s team recently sat down with Politico in Tallahassee, and took Iowa by storm over the weekend with a gaggle of reporters in tow.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), one of four U.S. House members who have endorsed DeSantis, brushed off questions about the governor’s media strategy, quick to point out that he hasn’t even launched into the 2024 race and has been busy meeting with voters and party leaders in early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire.
“The governor has been the governor. He’s not a candidate, is he?” Roy said. “Now you have a lot of people who have been announcing their support. You have a massive number in Iowa; you had 50 in New Hampshire who are apparently on the verge of coming out.
“There’s a lot of support for the governor out there and the media will pick up on that very quickly,” he added.
Still, there may be a political payoff to taking a global approach to dealing with the media, said Doug Heye, a longtime GOP strategist.
“If you’re a candidate trying to get your message out, you need to go to a wider audience,” Heye said. “There are a lot of primary voters who don’t go to the same network all day every day.”
“That doesn’t mean we’re going to see ‘The Ron DeSantis Hour’ on Lawrence O’Donnell,” he added. “But there are other places he can devote time to.”
Caroline Vakil contributed to this report.
