Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis, currently waging a campaign for the Republican Party’s nomination for president in 2024, was recently in the small Iowa community of Tama, and a photo posted online of a gathering that featured the contender for the nation’s highest office — and that came from a member of the DeSantis team — showed a seemingly packed crowd. Attendees stretch from one side of the frame to the other. Here’s the thing: another angle of the event began circulating alongside the first image that showed a very, very small gathering.
Sam Cooper, who posted the first image showing the governor in an arguably positive light, has been identified as the political director for the DeSantis campaign. The later circulating image of the gathering showed an extensive swath of empty seating in the already small venue. There are rows and rows visible in the second image that are empty. The matter mirrors another recently circulating anecdote involving the governor, who visited a home builders association in the also early (in presidential primary terms) state of New Hampshire where only 30 people reportedly showed, despite organizers dropping ticket prices to $1 and the promise of free beer!
Other public relations hurdles facing DeSantis on the campaign trail have involved his personal interactions, having berated a child in Iowa for the Icee they were holding. And in general, he’s repeatedly been accused of aggression in communications with the press, something he’s sometimes turned towards minors. In one incident from before his campaign for president was announced and made official, he berated a group of high school students for wearing face masks to protect against COVID-19 at an appearance the governor was making back in Florida.
Though originally considered to have a promising path ahead of him in the GOP primary, the standing enjoyed by DeSantis in polling has quickly sunk. One recent survey from Ipsos and Reuters had the governor — who retains his job in Florida, despite lately spending so much time out of the state — 34 percent behind Trump nationally.
DeSantis team really struggling with the camera angles to try and make their campaign events seem full lol https://t.co/BJk9LTq8mr pic.twitter.com/YMJjjXP3k0
— Thomas Kennedy (@tomaskenn) August 6, 2023
