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Ron DeSantis has been mocked by supporters of Donald Trump ahead of the Florida governor's debate with his California counterpart, Gavin Newsom.
The unusual debate between a Republican 2024 hopeful and a Democratic governor who is touted as a potential future presidential candidate is set to be broadcast on Fox News and moderated by Sean Hannity from 9 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday night.
The event between the political adversaries has long been coming, with Newsom first challenging DeSantis to a debate in September 2022, months before the Florida governor confirmed his White House bid.
Since then, DeSantis' 2024 presidential campaign has repeatedly faltered and continued to fail to make any inroads in the huge GOP primary polls that former President Trump leads. While a positive debate performance could give DeSantis a much-needed boost to his presidential campaign, a number of MAGA Republicans have suggested DeSantis will not help his national profile on Thursday, with others suggesting they will not even watch the event.
"This debate is being held in Alpharetta, GA where I lived for over 20 years," Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X, formerly Twitter. "I can tell you right now GA is supporting Trump. No one cares about this debate except the Rep establishment, who is completely disconnected with Rep voters. Already a fail."
Brenden Dilley, a pro-Trump podcast host and 2018 Arizona congressional candidate, said that DeSantis is having an "inconsequential debate that nobody asked for" against Newsom, adding that Florida governor's entire 2024 campaign has been "strange AF."
One MAGA social media profile wryly wrote on X: "Just wait until the DeSantis-Newsom debate. Ron will win big league and move up a percentage point. Then he'll only be 49 points down from Trump. Just wait!"
The @RealCaptainMaga account posted: "DeSantis v. Newsom debate is a waste of time and not worth watching. I hate Newsom but he will run circles around Ron because he can be charming and doesn't sound like a malfunctioning AI when he talks."
The post was in response to former Trump lawyer turned DeSantis supporter Jenna Ellis, who wrote on X: "Anyone who says the DeSantis v. Newsom debate is a waste of time or not worth watching isn't really a conservative and doesn't have the best interests of this country at heart. They're just Trump groupies.
"If this was between Newsom and any other outstanding Republican governor, I'd tune in and hope the nation sees the differences in ideology and cheer on conservatism. This is about AMERICA, not Trump."
Newsweek reached out to DeSantis' office via email for comment.
Elsewhere, Jessica Millan Patterson, the chairwoman of the California Republican Party, said that DeSantis should be wary of Newsom's "smooth-talking used-car salesman" persona which may appeal to viewers during the debate.
"Unfortunately, a lot of people still fall for that," Patterson told The New York Times.
"The facts are on DeSantis' side," she added. "What helps Newsom is his charm and his quote-unquote likability. It doesn't work for me, but it works for a lot of folks."
Throughout his campaign, DeSantis has faced accusations that he does not have the charisma to appeal to voters and struggles with the personal retail campaigning side of a presidential bid.
The accusations re-emerged in the wake of DeSantis delivering solid, if unremarkable, performances during the live GOP presidential primary debates.
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About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more