Poor Ron DeSantis. Once, he was the front-runner to take over the Republican mantle from Trump. But now, following a staff exodus, tanking ratings and a barrage of insults from The Donald, the Florida governor looks to be yesterday’s man. DeSantis is currently a whopping forty-five points behind in the polls for the Republican nomination, with Trump refusing to attend Wednesday’s debate on the basis that he is “leading the field by ‘legendary’ numbers.”

And the strain now appears to be getting to DeSantis, judging by his appearance in a clip he recorded Sunday. The Florida governor was asked about a leaked memo from a friendly super PAC detailing his debate strategies. A perspiring DeSantis was forced to repeatedly deny that he had read the memo, all the while furiously grinding his teeth. Some Trump fans likened him to the sinister superhero Homelander from hit Amazon series The Boys; others jeered that he looked “finished.”

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Either way, not a great look ahead of Wednesday night’s showdown…

This article was originally published on The Spectator’s UK website.