GOP Representative Chip Roy praised Ron DeSantis’ “obviously clumsy” but otherwise “incredible” campaign launch on Twitter, while brushing off concerns that Donald Trump is hugging the Florida governor with congressional support.
“I think it was actually incredible,” the Texan Republican — one of a small group that has thrown himself behind the Capitol Hill governor — told reporters.
“I know it was obviously a little awkward in there for about 15 or 20 minutes, but you know this is what happens when you want to break the status quo and do something different.”
DeSantis raised eyebrows when he chose to launch his campaign launch at a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk — rather than a traditional campaign launch in front of a crowd of supporters.
The highly anticipated start to its 2024 White House run started 26 minutes late and crashed multiple times as hundreds of thousands of users tuned in to listen in on DeSantis’ conversation with Twitter’s CEO.
GOP Representative Chip Roy praised Ron DeSantis’s “obviously clumsy” but otherwise “incredible” campaign launch on Twitter, brushing off concerns that Donald Trump is embracing Florida governor with congressional support
DeSantis raised eyebrows when he chose to launch his campaign launch at a Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk — rather than a traditional campaign launch in front of a crowd of supporters
Musk said at one point during the event that the “servers were tense” and the host blamed the number of people tuning in, which he said was a “good thing.”
‘Just try to get it going’, listeners heard when it became clear that the frustration was growing.
The DeSantis team put Wednesday’s difficulties in a new light — with the former governor claiming he “broken the internet.”
“Finally, they’ve got 25 million impressions in the last 24 hours,” Roy agreed.
He dismissed concerns about the rocky start — and the governor’s polls lagging far behind Trump’s.
“DeSantis has an extraordinary track record, a great message, a great vision. overwhelming success in the vote, strong conservative record, lots and lots of people supporting him in Iowa. So he’s good.’
Along with Roy, four others have so far come out to endorse DeSantis in the House – Reps. Rich McCormick, Ga., Laurel Lee, Fla., Thomas Massie, Ky., and Bob Good, Va.
McCormick told DailyMail.com, “Obviously the internet crashed, that wasn’t the only time this has happened. They probably could have foreseen that, but you know, that’s life. That won’t affect the rest of the campaign.’
No senators have yet spoken in favor of Florida’s governor. More than 50 members of the House of Representatives and 11 senators have announced their support for Trump since he jumped into the race in November.
Roy dismissed concerns about DeSantis’ lagging congressional support, hinting that his behind-the-scenes colleagues were supportive but fearful of taking Trump’s revenge on themselves.
“Recommendations from Congress don’t really matter that much,” Roy said. “Do you think the average voter goes around, gosh, man, I really care what these guys with a 17 percent approval rating say?”
Trump “commands a lot of attention from people who are more concerned about re-election than, you know, maybe trying to find the candidate who could move the country forward,” Roy added.
Asked if he hears more support behind the scenes, the congressman told DailyMail.com, “That would be something I’m not going to comment on due to private communications, but let’s just say there are a lot of people who are generally supportive of the governor. DeSantis.”
Matt Gaetz, one of Trump’s most ardent congressional supporters and a former ally of DeSantis, wore a red MAGA hat to the Capitol Thursday morning after the governor’s announcement.
In his home state, DeSantis’ support from elected officials is significantly better — the governor secured the support of 99 of Florida’s 113 GOP state legislators before jumping into the race, including Senate Speaker Kathleen Passidomo and House Speaker Paul Renner.
He has also received 37 endorsements from lawmakers from the GOP state of Iowa — a critical state primary for Republicans due to the nation’s first primary.
But reports have pointed to DeSantis’s popularity problem in Congress, despite formerly serving as a member of the House.
Former Representative David Trott, R-Mich., told Politico that he sat with DeSantis during State Department hearings and that DeSantis never introduced himself or said hello.
“I think he’s an asshole,” Trott said. “I don’t think he cares about people.”
Rep. Lance Gooden, R-Texas, backed Trump immediately after meeting with DeSantis.
“I have met with Governor DeSantis and while he has done commendable work in Florida, I have no doubt that President Trump is the only leader who can save America from the leftist onslaught we are currently facing,” he said in a statement. .
While it’s too early to read heavily in polls, Trump has a significant lead over DeSantis in every way — 54.3 percent to 20.6 percent according to a FiveThirtyEight average of recent polls.