Is DeSantis's Campaign 'Reboot' Working?

Governor Ron DeSantis' (R-FL) 2024 Presidential campaign is undergoing a 'reboot' similar to 2008's John McCain. Former President Donald Trump was quick to call Gov. DeSantis' campaign doomed.

"It’s fitting that in the last week, the word reboot followed by Ron DeSantis (or is it DEE-SAN TAS?) have appeared no fewer than a dozen times together, all across the country. It seems that this particular robot, however, isn’t turning back on," a memo published by the Trump campaign mocked.

It is no secret that Trump remains dominant in the polls by massive margins since he regularly brags about it. The latest New York Times/Siena College poll showed 54% of respondents supported Trump, while only 17% favored DeSantis.

When respondents answered on who they felt was a strong leader, 60% said Trump, 67% believed he could 'get things done,' and 58% believed Trump could beat President Biden in the general election compared to 28% saying DeSantis could.

Further headaches for the Florida Governor came when Representative Byron Donalds (R-FL) was the subject of attacks by pro-DeSantis online influencers for criticizing a single line in Florida's new education curriculum on Black history.

At most, it seemed Rep. Donalds felt the line in question, concerning how formerly enslaved African-Americans found work through skills acquired prior to emancipation, was poorly worded. Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern called him a "supposed conservative" who was "laundering a lie from the White House," while Rapid Response Director Christina Pushaw mockingly compared Rep. Donalds to Kamala Harris, who loudly condemned the curriculum.

Shortly after, Pushaw joked that the Trump campaign should hire a woman convicted of stealing millions of dollars from a Holocaust survivor. The context was that much of Trump's funds are going toward his legal fees as he battles three indictments.

The memo cited these incidents as evidence of the DeSantis campaign being 'marred by idiocy,' adding that McCain's 2008 'reboot' did not involve defending himself.

"So the next time someone makes the “2008 Comeback” analogy in the same sentence with Ron DeSantis, be sure to hit them with these facts," the memo concluded.