Maria Bartiromo Confronts DeSantis on 2024 Campaign: 'What Happened?'

Fox News host Maria Bartiromo confronted Republican presidential nominee and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Sunday about his 2024 campaign thus far after reading unfavorable media headlines about him, asking him "what happened?"

"The media does not want me to be the nominee. I think that's very, very clear. Why? Because they know I'll beat Biden. But even more importantly, they know I will actually deliver on all these things," DeSantis responded with a laugh while speaking on Sunday Morning Futures.

In May, DeSantis announced his bid to run for president and is among the ever-widening field of candidates running for the Republican Party's 2024 presidential nomination. While former President Donald Trump regularly maintains a commanding lead in the polls, DeSantis has proven to be his most significant opponent, polling behind in second place, still ahead of others in the field like former Vice President Mike Pence and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.

While still speaking with Bartiromo, DeSantis touted his "incredible support" within early primary states like Iowa. The governor added that he thinks parents and particularly moms will be the "secret weapon" for him both in primaries and the general election.

Newsweek has reached out to DeSantis' press team via email for comment.

Meanwhile, political analyst Craig Agranoff told Newsweek on Sunday, "I think it's fair to say that Ron DeSantis' presidential campaign has started on a rocky note if you count the technical glitches during his Twitter announcement. That was a distraction, and the headlines that followed haven't been kind."

He continued: "However, I don't think it's time to write him off just yet. DeSantis is a talented politician with a strong following, and he's still got plenty of time to turn things around. I'm curious to see how his campaign evolves in the coming months. It's still too early to rely on polling. One thing for sure is he will have to differentiate himself from former president Trump and build a broad coalition of support, not just among the far right."

Bartiromo also referenced a recent Fox News poll showing DeSantis trailing Trump by double digits. The former president also leads DeSantis by more than 28 points (52.1 percent to 23.3 percent), according to FiveThirtyEight's national poll average tracker.

DeSantis concluded his remarks to Bartiromo on Sunday, saying he will be on the GOP debate stage next month and looks "forward to doing it."

"I think really, Maria, that's when people are really going to start paying attention to the primary. I think up to this point, a lot of that has been about some of these legal cases. And I think a lot of the voter's concern about that and understandably so. But I think that's going to be the focus. We're going to be able to talk about the vision. And I look forward to doing it," the Florida governor said.