Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has responded to questions over recent polls showing him falling behind former President Donald Trump, stating he is not worried about his current place in the polls.
The polling from the last few weeks shows Trump far ahead of the Florida governor, with some data even showing the former president having twice the support of DeSantis. When asked if all this "doom and gloom" was impacting his presidential campaign, DeSantis responded with "not at all," adding that one could see "an effort to create these narratives" during an interview on Fox News's Media Buzz.
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"I think the good thing about it is Republican primary voters are very smart," said DeSantis. "They know where these corporate outlets stand on the political spectrum, and so the extent that they become convinced that the media does not want me to be the nominee above all else, that will, in the long run, absolutely help me."
The Florida governor was also asked why the media would oppose his nomination rather than Trump's nomination, to which DeSantis said it is because he thinks the media "knows I can beat Biden, and beat him soundly." DeSantis also added that the media has seen his work in the state of Florida, and how the Republican Party has "beat the Left" on multiple issues, including illegal immigration and education.
"We've done all these great things, and now Florida, even CNBC is acknowledging we’re the top economy of all 50 states, and so I think they see me as somebody who will actually enact some of these bold things as president," said DeSantis. "Of course, they don’t want that. The corporate press wants the status quo."
DeSantis and Trump are both running for the Republican Party's 2024 nomination for president, with both candidates seen as the most likely candidates to win the nomination. Other Republican candidates in the 2024 presidential race include Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
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When asked if he will attend the first Republican presidential candidate debate next month, DeSantis said: "I'm gonna be at the debates." Trump, meanwhile, has not decided if he will appear at the first Republican debate, stating that he does not need to when he has a large polling lead.
A recent poll, conducted from July 8-11, showed 61% of voters believe President Joe Biden is not the strongest candidate Democrats could nominate, while 53% of voters believe Trump is not the strongest candidate Republicans could nominate in 2024. Among the most skeptical about the two front-runners, Trump 2020 voters were the most doubtful that Biden is the strongest candidate Democrats could nominate in 2024, 84%, while Biden 2020 voters were the most skeptical that Trump is the strongest candidate Republicans could nominate in 2024, 76%.