“DeSantis Is Underperforming” – Murdoch Reportedly Losing Confidence In DeSantis’s Ability To Beat Trump
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Florida Governor Ron DeSantis might be losing key supporters.
A new report alleges that Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch are losing confidence in DeSantis’s ability to beat Donald Trump.
Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, who has bolstered Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) national profile through Fox News and other outlets he and his family own, is reportedly losing confidence in DeSantis’s ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican primary, Rolling Stone reported.
One Fox News insider told Rolling Stone that Rupert and his son Lachlan Murdoch “are transactional and can smell a loser a mile away.”
A senior Fox source told the outlet Murdoch’s “understandable worry is that we may end up being stuck with Trump anyway.”
“And DeSantis is underperforming. Anybody can see that … [and the Murdochs], they’re seeing it, too,” the source added.
Murdoch reportedly isn’t happy with DeSantis’s focus on cultural issues.
The report also alleges that Murdoch thinks DeSantis seems too awkward to connect with American voters.
News Corps’ media properties have reportedly begun to show their displeasure with DeSantis.
According to two of the sources, Murdoch has privately winced at DeSantis’ nonstop cultural-grievance strategy, arguing that it is being executed sloppily. In his repeated attempts to outflank the already hard-right Trump on the right, DeSantis and his team have waged an aggressive messaging operation to paint the Florida governor as a much more extreme culture-warrior as compared to the former president — most recently via a bizarre, bigoted video lauding the governor for his anti-LGBTQ attacks. This strategy has for months attracted criticism from fellow Republicans for being unsavvy and “too online” to connect with the median voter.
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Rupert Murdoch’s complaints lately have, three of the sources recount, centered on how he feels DeSantis often seems too awkward in his public presentation and in his attempts to connect with the American voter. Murdoch has also noted DeSantis 2024’s recent failures to chip away at Trump’s stubborn dominance in the polls, despite the pre-campaign-launch hype about how things would significantly change right after DeSantis’ declaration. After months of high-quality polling, the twice-indicted former president continues to consistently hold gaping leads on DeSantis, his top 2024 Republican rival.
Hints of the Murdoch clan’s displeasure with DeSantis have surfaced in News Corp’s media properties over the past few weeks. Two sources familiar with the matter stress that this is “not by accident” and “not a coincidence.”
Polling shows DeSantis trailing Donald Trump in the GOP primary.
