Debate Audience Bursts Into Laughter As DeSantis Tries To Dodge Questions About 2024

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tosses hats into the crowd as he takes the stage at the 2022 CPAC conference at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tosses hats into the crowd as he takes the stage at the 2022 CPAC conference at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune... Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis tosses hats into the crowd as he takes the stage at the 2022 CPAC conference at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) MORE LESS
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) didn’t try very hard to mask his likely plans for a 2024 presidential bid during his only debate with Democratic challenger Charlie Crist on Monday night — and the audience apparently could tell why the governor was being so cagey.

During the debate, Crist blasted DeSantis for repeatedly refusing to commit to carrying out a full four-year term if he were to win reelection.

“You’re running for governor. You’re asking them to vote for you for governor,” Crist told him. “At a minimum, you ought to be able to tell them if you get reelected, you’ll serve as governor, Ron.”

DeSantis responded with an Olympic-level backflip.

“So we had the border that was in much better shape—” the Republican governor began before the audience started laughing “—in January of 2021. The Biden administration reversed almost every policy that was in place, and they opened the floodgates.”

It was one of several moments on Monday night in which Crist pressed DeSantis on whether he’d actually serve as governor for a full term or if he was merely using the governorship as a springboard to challenge President Joe Biden in 2024.

DeSantis kept dodging the question until, finally, he said that “the only worn-out old donkey I’m looking to put out to pasture is Charlie Crist.”

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. Reptiles squirm. So does DeSantis. That pic makes it look like he is grasping for a life line.

  2. DeFascist is so genuine.

  3. So much charisma.

  4. Avatar for dave48 dave48 says:

    This is all great theater but, unfortunately, I think that virtually all Republicans and right leaning independents stopped watching debates years ago. I strongly suspect that debates no longer have any impact whatsoever on election results. If the Republican candidate were to drop his pants and pee all over the moderator it would be in the headlines of every major news outlet the next day, yet I doubt it would have any effect on the polls even a week later.

  5. “So we had the border that was in much better shape—” the Republican governor began before the audience started laughing “—in January of 2021. The Biden administration reversed almost every policy that was in place, and they opened the floodgates.”

    Trolls gonna troll.
    I’m assuming DeSatan learned to do comments like this one during his internship at Prigozhin’s IRA in St. Petersburg.
    It’s heartening that Crist didn’t take the bait.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

99 more replies

Participants

Avatar for playitagainrowlf Avatar for zandru Avatar for inversion Avatar for joelopines Avatar for lastroth Avatar for gr Avatar for leftcoaster Avatar for darrtown Avatar for isakindamagic Avatar for albesure Avatar for tiowally Avatar for brian512 Avatar for not_so_fluffy Avatar for dannydorko Avatar for yoopertj Avatar for kelaine Avatar for pablointhegazebo Avatar for bcgister Avatar for jwbuho Avatar for occamscoin Avatar for zenicetus Avatar for rascal_crone Avatar for garrybee Avatar for emiliano4

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: