While both Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have been shown to be able to beat Joe Biden in the polls, DeSantis still lags behind Donald Trump in GOP primary polling. He’s looking to change that …
… by going on CNN?
It’s true. According to a report from the New York Post, DeSantis is expanding his media strategy for his presidential campaign by not only going on the openly anti-Republican network CNN but by being interviewed by none other than Jake Tapper. The interview is set for Tuesday.
DeSantis has mainly appeared on conservative-friendly platforms and local media outlets in states with early primaries since launching his campaign. This is obviously a very limiting strategy that wasn’t viable long term. Candidates need to be willing to engage with unfriendly media outlets — something Democrats typically won’t do.
Regarding the Desantis-Tapper interview, campaign spokesman Bryan Griffin told the Post, “There are people within the media who are still seeking the truth; we will engage with them. And we look forward to getting our message out there to the American people.”
“The corporate media has gotten a lot wrong, and many outlets have an agenda. Therefore, we don’t consider them entitled to time or access,” Griffin added. “Nonetheless there are many good journalists and truth-seeking reporters, including in mainstream media outlets, and we will work with them on our terms. That’s always been the plan.”
That’s all fine and good, but how exactly did they land on the Russiagate-promoting leftist hack so-called journalist Jake Tapper as the one they’d do the interview with? Joe Biden could soil himself on live television and Tapper would argue that it makes him more human and relatable to the public, all while attacking Republicans for “pouncing” on the incident. Tapper isn’t committed to seeking the truth as much as he’s committed to pursuing the preferred narrative.
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For what it’s worth, the DeSantis campaign insists that the CNN interview does not signify a change in strategy. They say that their initial focus was on fundraising, and they’d always planned to diversify their media approach later. That focus on fundraising has certainly paid off, as the campaign raised $20 million in the six weeks following the campaign launch. But granting an interview with Tapper, who is neither a good journalist nor a truth-seeking reporter, seems like a curious move. For sure, DeSantis has proven repeatedly that he can handle hostile media, and he could certainly have his choice of those to interview him.
Republican candidates shouldn’t shy away from CNN, either. A number of GOP candidates, including Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and Nikki Haley, have participated in town hall events on the embattled network. Meanwhile, you certainly won’t see Joe Biden agree to a town hall event on Fox News.
But how exactly will this work? Can appearing on CNN opposite Jake Tapper help DeSantis close the gap with Trump? Are there swayable GOP primary voters who are regularly tuning into CNN?
