Even the biggest boosters of Ron DeSantis can’t deny that his campaign launch on Twitter Spaces was a risky choice that started off by blowing up in his face. That may be fine: Every successful campaign has its stories of bumps in the road. But some days, the bear eats you. This was one of those. It’s a good thing for DeSantis that this is just one of several appearances he has planned this evening.
After the lengthy delays imposed by technical difficulties, DeSantis launched into a prepared speech that felt rushed and was marred by the sound of him turning pages. Once he actually started the give-and-take with Elon Musk and others on the call (including Kentucky congressman Thomas Massie and the Manhattan Institute’s Chris Rufo), DeSantis was more at ease, but he will never be Ronald Reagan; his natural affect is that of a relentless and prepared prosecutor, not an entertainer. The whole concept of the DeSantis campaign is that Republicans, and Americans, are tired of weary old men and circus acts, and want a serious man who is focused on doing the job. We will see how much demand for that there really is.