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Ron DeSantis Can’t Charm or Shock His Way Into the Oval Office

What Ron DeSantis lacks in the public engagement department he more than makes up with prowess. The former can be learned and, I believe, will only increase the more time he spends face to face with voters.  

Ron DeSantis. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
Governor Ron DeSantis speaking with attendees at the 2021 Student Action Summit hosted by Turning Point USA at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida. Photo by Gage Skidmore .

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is not exactly what one would call a charismatic extrovert. This, according to his biggest critics, is his main weakness.  

Would it be nice to have a president exude a sense of magnetism? Maybe. 

However, one thing I’ve learned from years of dating narcissists is that the most charming ones tend to be the most incompetent boyfriends, to put it nicely. 

And if there’s anything America needs right now, it’s competency. 

What Ron DeSantis lacks in the public engagement department he more than makes up with prowess. The former can be learned and, I believe, will only increase the more time he spends face to face with voters.  

Florida’s governor’s strength is his execution, which, when aiming for the highest executive office in the country, should be a big selling point. 

DeSantis’s allure is not in his manipulation of emotion. It’s in his quiet confidence. The latter makes him no less an “alpha male” than Trump. 

Ron DeSantis The Inexperience Lie

Donald Trump claims that “Rob” is just “young and inexperienced and naïve or more troubling … a fool who has no idea what the hell he’s doing.” 

The data and polling tell a different story

According to a U.S. News and World Report, Florida ranks #7 in Best State Economy, which takes into account a state’s business environment, labor market, and overall economic growth. Apparently, Disney didn’t do that much damage. 

The Sunshine State ranked 10th overall. 

It’s no wonder people are trading drug and crime-infested cities and California coastlines for the east coast beaches in droves. 

People fled blue states driven by draconian lockdowns for the shores of freedom. Florida experienced the largest net migration gains in the country, a measurement of people moving in and out of the state.

However, people continued to migrate well after the COVID restrictions ended due to lower taxes and higher quality of life. 

Of course, an increase in population tends to bring negative side effects with it – increase in traffic and housing costs, higher unemployment rates, and locals complaining of all the damn Californians.

This will likely help balance out Florida’s explosive recent growth. 

If Ron DeSantis helps the United States economy bounce back like he did in Florida and manage to build that wall, curbing the influx of illegal residents who don’t pay taxes, the country can begin to get back on track. 

Substance Over Fluff

Ron DeSantis is hoping to capitalize on what others see as his fatal flaw. 

In his first speech in Iowa since announcing his candidacy, the GOP hopeful declared

“Leadership is not about entertainment. It’s not about building a brand. It’s not about virtue signaling. It is about results.”

As Ben Shapiro tweeted after DeSantis’s announcement on Twitter Spaces last week: 

“Tonight was a perfect encapsulation of the campaign. If you’re obsessed with the optics of the Twitter Spaces glitch, then you’re probably not going to vote DeSantis. If you’re interested in political substance, DeSantis is likely your candidate.” 

Shapiro, like me, tends to geek out on the details of policy. DeSantis’s somewhat dry announcement bothered us, and others like us who find hours of academic discussion riveting, little. 

Of course, there are fewer voters who have the time, or the concern for this kind of exposition or detail. 

This is where the results Ron DeSantis has proven he can deliver matter.  

I will not argue that Florida’s governor is the warm fuzzy type. But as I’ve had to remind my (ex) therapist who berated me for any hint of a defense of Trump, “I’m not looking to marry the guy. I just need someone to run the expletive country!” 

And if DeSantis can run the country like he has run Florida for the past five years, America will be in much better shape come 2028.

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Jennifer Galardi is the politics and culture editor for 19FortyFive.com. She has a Master’s in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and produces and hosts the podcast Connection with conversations that address health, culture, politics and policy. In a previous life, she wrote for publications in the health, fitness, and nutrition space. In addition, her pieces have been published in the Epoch Times and Pepperdine Policy Review. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

Written By

Jennifer Galardi is the politics and culture editor for 19FortyFive.com. She has a Master’s in Public Policy from Pepperdine University and produces and hosts the podcast Connection with conversations that address health, culture, politics and policy. In a previous life, she wrote for publications in the health, fitness, and nutrition space. In addition, her pieces have been published in the Epoch Times and Pepperdine Policy Review. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.