Florida’s Governor is griping about how a once-loyal cable network seems to have moved over to a different 2024 candidate.
During remarks in Waukee, Iowa, Ron DeSantis ripped Fox News for pushing “garbage” polls that show Donald Trump leading the race by massive margins.
“I know Fox News is going to say, oh, he’s winning this poll, he’s winning this poll. These polls are garbage,” DeSantis said at the event hosted by the Never Back Down super PAC.
The Governor has dealt with tougher process questions from the conservative network of late, even from friendly hosts. On Tuesday’s episode of “The Ingraham Angle,” DeSantis was confronted with the Real Clear Politics polling average in Iowa showing him more than 30 points down. Host Laura Ingraham said Trump was dominating in the state.
During an appearance on Thursday’s “America’s Newsroom,” DeSantis was also greeted with a Fox Business poll from December showing Trump leading him 52% to 18% in Iowa. The same survey suggested that 83% of Trump voters are certain to support him, with just 39% of DeSantis backers saying they’re that committed.
As recently as last month, the Governor told Fox News host Sean Hannity that he wanted the network to host debates between him and the other candidates.
“If you want to do other debates, Nikki Haley and me, I’m in. Donald Trump and me, I’m in. So just say the word. You’ve shown that you can do it in a way that I think really helps the voter. So I’m game, just let me know,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis’ career has been dependent to no small degree on Fox News. In December 2017, he went on “Fox & Friends” to tease his run for Governor after Trump endorsed him. As Governor, he signed legislation exclusively on the same morning show. He also used Tucker Carlson’s show, which was on the channel until the host was fired, to make his then-controversial claim that the war in Ukraine was a simple “territorial dispute.”
As the campaign nears a crisis point, however, it seems all that collaboration is headed for the memory hole.
The post Ron DeSantis now says Fox News is in the tank for Donald Trump appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..