Rough week, Ron? DeSantis struggles with Disney’s feud and abortion stance.Ron DeSantis

〇None of Ron DeSantis’ funniest stories of the week were anything but parodies, but he might wish he weren’t.Satire website The Onion had a right-wing governor in Florida settle an ongoing feud with Disney He had a guest role in the hit Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian.

Behind the teasing comedy lay a harsh truth for a vain politician embroiled in war. energy-consuming scrap With Florida’s largest private employer over LBGTQ+ rights.

There is clear evidence that Disney will fight and his many other cultural battlesincluding him Signing extreme six-week abortion ban, DeSantis, who is preparing for the presidential election, expends considerable political capital on the national stage. And while the road to the 2024 Republican nomination is likely to have many ups and downs, there’s no doubt that DeSantis hit a rough spot.

he fell Behind Donald Trump In public opinion polls, Can’t seem to find a Florida legislator to support himand bleeding support From an influential Republican donor.

But even if he wants to find out, there is no easy way.

“For him, it’s a combination of vanity and revenge. He suffers from what a lot of politicians do: vanity, and this is about retribution,” said the former Florida Republican congressman. said David Jolie, who served with DeSantis in the House and was a temporary rival in Marco Rubio’s 2016 campaign.Senate seat until incumbent reversed his decision stand.

“At Disney, his ego is what he does best, and he’s been called upon for it. He’s got to win this one.” [but] The momentum is going in the wrong direction and it’s getting serious.

“To use the hockey analogy, he always knows how to skate the way the puck is going. But the puck is now heading for the wrong goal.”

Either way, DeSantis has had a rough week. It started with a storm of criticism he received. proposed to build a state prison On land next to a Disney theme park, in return for existence betrayed Company control.continued with A Humiliating Odyssey to Washington DC Only to find a series of former allies defecting to Trump, seeking congressional support.

Even at home in Florida, there was frustration with DeSantis and his extremist agenda. According to Politico.

Former Republican state senator Jeff Brandes said “people are very frustrated,” and Republican colleagues he spoke to felt “they’re not spending time on the right issues.” added.

This is a view echoed by former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who is pondering his own challenge to win the party’s nomination. Disney’s obsession with revenge is not conservative.

“Can the government punish you if you express your disagreement in this country?” he said to semaphore.

“That’s what I always thought liberals were doing.

But according to Jolly, it’s not attacks like Christie’s that should set off alarms for DeSantis’ advisers.

“The worst criticism of him at Disney was from Justin Amash, his colleague and founder of the House Liberal caucuses who criticized DeSantis for his views on Disney. It stings for DeSantis that the Liberal caucus leader turned against him,” he said.

“He also went to Washington and bought his four florida Colleagues turn around and stand by their competitors.

“Many politicians are affable, and some are very smart. [but] From the moment he took the stage, DeSantis was a lone wolf. Although he considers himself the smartest person in the room, he has not built relationships or loyalties, instead there are currently no members of the delegation who are loyal to him.

“His credit is that it works. He’s the governor of the third-largest state and could be the next president. But it’s no surprise they aren’t there for him when he needs them.”

Skip past newsletter promotions

After newsletter promotion

Ultimately, Jolie believes DeSantis may not be ready to meet the demands of the national stage.

“His confidence over the past few years is due to everything being scripted with friendly audiences. He never speaks to the press and when he does, he often becomes hostile,” he said. .

“The question is how much of that model can be exhausted in the presidential race before he really has to step into the spotlight. ‘s juggernaut and has captured the attention of the nation’s biggest Republican supporters for five years.

“If they’re worried about his culture war going too far and that he’s not ready for the national stage, it’s true. They want a winner.”

Some analysts believe the company’s feud with Disney began last year promise to help overthrow DeSantis’ flagship “don’t say gay” law, which bans discussion of sexual orientation and gender preferences in the classroom, could be a campaign killer.

“He Declared Thermonuclear War on Cartoon Mouse,” Orlando Sentinel Political Columnist Written by Scott Maxwell.

“The governor’s writers seem to have envisioned this as the ultimate power play. They taught Disney a lesson, strengthened their foundation, and asked every other Florida employer to head in front of DeSantis.” This shows what happens if you don’t lower .

“Instead, he became a punch line. This may be remembered as the moment the wheels came off.”

Others are more cautious. Susan McManus, a prominent political science professor emeritus at the University of Florida, warned that “even her one bad week isn’t enough to discount a candidate’s viability.”

“Everybody assumes that if you decide to run for president. [he will]you know there are bad weeks and good weeks when you get into it, and DeSantis was no traditional athlete.

“There are different parts of the voter where things resonate more, so some Republican Disappointed that he chased Disney and joked about prison.

“But in the big picture, it’s too early to tell the damage done by the first Republican debate, a week nine months before the primary.” Scheduled for August.

“As an analyst, I think this is a bad week for people to rate. But as someone who studies historical presidential campaigns, I don’t see it as the end of the week.”