>>> RON DeSANTIS IS IN ROAD TEST MODE, SELLING HIS BIG MIDTERM
RE-ELECTION WIN AS A MODEL FOR THE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN PARTY.
AND THERE IS NO QUESTION A LOT OF REPUBLICAN LEADERS, DONORS,
OPERATIVES AND VOTERS ARE IMPRESSED.
BUT THERE'S ALSO SOME CLEAR AND INTERESTING GRUMBLING.
THE 44-YEAR-OLD FLORIDA GOVERNOR HAS A GO IT ALONE REPUTATION,
AND A CLEAR DISDAIN OR DISTRUST OF THE REPUBLICAN ESTABLISHMENT.
DeSANTIS RECEIVED A STANDING OVATION THIS PAST WEEKEND AFTER
SPEAKING TO A REPUBLICAN GATHERING IN LAS VEGAS THAT
ATTRACTED MORE THAN A HALF DOZEN POTENTIAL 2024 PROSPECTS.
BUT ONE ATTENDEE DELIVERED A COMPLAINT AND A COMPLIMENT.
TELLING CNN WHEN DeSANTIS CAME ON, ALL THE KIDS CAME UP, BUT HE
DIDN'T STICK AROUND TO SCHMOOZE. IS THIS JUST DONORS, OPERATIVES,
THEY WANT TO BE LOVED, THEY WANT TO SCHMOOZE?
IS IT LIKE SO WHAT? THIS IS SOME EGOS THAT WANT TO
BE STROKED BY RON DeSANTIS, OR DOES HE HAVE A PROBLEM?
>> THIS IS YES AND. RON DeSANTIS IS A ROCK STAR YOU
SAW THE RECEPTION, SHAKING HANDS ON THE ROPE LINE.
AT AN EVENT LAST WEEK AT THE REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR ASSOCIATION
MEETING IN ORLANDO, HE GAVE A SPEECH, HAD A CONVERSATION, A
BIG STANDING OVATION, AND LOOK, HE'S GOT A LOT GOING FOR HIM.
HE HAS OVER $200 MILLION IN THE BANK.
POLLING SHOWS IF ANYBODY IS GOING TO CHALLENGE DONALD TRUMP
FOR THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION, IT'S HIM.
BUT THESE DONORS ARE POINTING OUT THAT HE DOES SEEM TO HAVE A
DISDAIN, AS YOU PUT IT, FOR THE GLAD HANDING THAT'S GOING ON
RIGHT NOW IN THIS MOMENT IN THE PRIMARY PROCESS.
HE DOES NOT LIKE TO MEET WITH DO
DONORS. THE MEETING IN HIS HOME STATE HE
WENT TO ONE EVENT. HE WASN'T AT A RECEPTION WITH
DONORS AND THEY NOTICE AND PICKING UP ON IT.
IT IS A QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT HE CAN GET THE REPUBLICAN
NOMINATION WITHOUT DOING THAT. THAT'S BEEN HIS MO THROUGHOUT
HIS POLITICAL CAREER BUT HE HASN'T REALLY BEEN ON THE
NATIONAL STAGE THE WAY HE SEEMS TO BE MOVING TOWARDS NOW.
>> HE'S BEING PICKED APART LIKE A TURKEY RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE HE
IS THIS RISING STAR AND BECAUSE A LOT OF REPUBLICANS WHO DON'T
WANT TRUMP THINK WE MIGHT HAVE TO PICK ONE PERSON TO RALLY
AROUND. CHRIS CHRISTIE SAYS I DON'T
THINK RON HANGS OUT WITH ANYBODY.
DAVE JOLLY CALLS RON DeSANTIS A BIT OF AN ODD DUCK.
RYAN COSTELLO SAID HE HAD FRIENDS, ALLIES BUT HE WAS NOT A
BACKSLAPPER. THE QUESTION IS, DOES THAT
MATTER? WE WERE TALKING DURING THE
BREAK. BARACK OBAMA WAS SORT OF ALOOF.
I THINK HE SERVED TWO TERMS AS PRESIDENT.
>> I COVERED BARACK OBAMA FOR EIGHT YEARS PLUS HIS CAMPAIGN.
HE WAS ALOOF. THERE WERE WHITE HOUSE EVENTS
WHERE PEOPLE WERE INVITED HE WAS SUPPOSED TO SHAKE HANDS HE GOT
CRITICIZED FOR NOT STAYING AT THE EVENT THERE, LET ALONE
FUND-RAISERS FOR THE DENUCLEDNC AND HIS
CAMPAIGN. HE DID FINE.
IT'S OKAY TO BE ALOOF IF THAT'S WHO YOU ARE.
BUT AT THE BEGINNING OF A NATIONAL CAREER ON THE POLITICAL
STAGE, NO DOUBT THAT REPORTING IS FASCINATING.
IT ALSO SHOWS THAT THERE'S A TARGET ON HIS BACK.
>> SO YOU QUOTE THIS DeSANTIS FUND-RAISER IN YOUR PIECE, NO
ONE SEEMS TO CARE IF HE WANTS TO STAY AT A RECEPTION AND SHAKE
HANDS THEY CARE WHAT HE DOES AS GOVERNOR TO IMPROVE THEIR LIVES
ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. THIS WAS THE OBAMA MAGIC IF YOU
WILL, HE COULD HOLD THE ESTABLISHMENT ASIDE BECAUSE HE
WAS WINNING. IF THEY THINK YOU'RE THE HORSE
GETTING THEM WHAT THEY WANT, WHICH IS THE WHITE HOUSE, PEOPLE
WILL GRUMBLE BUT SEND A CHECK. >> DeSANTIS CAME UP THROUGH THE
TEA PARTY ERA AGAIN AND THEN SORT OF EMBARRASSED THE FREEDOM
CAUCUS AND THEN WAS IN THE TRUMP WING OF THE PARTY.
ALL OF THAT MEANS YOU ENTERED THE POLITICS IN A DEFENSIVE
CROUCH KIND OF. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO DEAL WITH
THE ESTABLISHMENT BECAUSE YOU'RE AN OUTSIDER.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU'RE AN INSIDER?
A GOVERNOR RUNNING FOR ELECTION LIKE ANY OTHER GOVERNOR.
NOW YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH IF YOU DON'T WANT THE ESTABLISHMENT,
THE BRASESTABLISHMENT INFRASTRUE AND THAT'S THE MONEY AND THE
GLAD HANDERS AND DONORS AND MAKING THOSE TASTE MAKERS AND
KING MAKERS HAPPY. TRUMP HAS CAPTURED SO MUCH OF
THE STATE PARTY MECHANISM AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT I DON'T KNOW
WHAT DeSANTIS' LANE IS THROUGH THAT INFRASTRUCTURE.
YOU DON'T HAVE THE STATE PARTIES, YOU'RE NOT DOING YOUR
HAND SHAKES WITH THE DONORS. WHO ARE THE PEOPLE YOU GET?
MAYBE YOU HAVE THE ANSWER. >> I DON'T KNOW.
THAT IS THE QUESTION, A CONCERN. YOU NEED FRIENDS IF YOU'RE IN
RON DeSANTIS' POSITION. THAT'S SOMETHING I HEAR, WILL HE
HAVE ENOUGH FRIENDS. HE'S NOT BUDDY BUDDY WITH THE
REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS. >> AND THE BASE IS GIVING TRUMP
ALL THE SMALL DONATIONS. HE'S NOT TAPPING THAT YET.
>> HE HAS OVER $200 MILLION IN THE BANK.
HE HAS MONEY AND HE HAS A BASE OF SUPPORT.
BUT THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS, HE'S UNDER THE MICROSCOPE IN A
LOT OF WAYS. THERE'S AN EAGERNESS TO GET ON
BOARD WITH DeSANTIS AMONG DONORS I SPEAK WITH.
THEY WANT TO KNOW MORE AND SO FAR THEY'RE GETTING HALFWAY.
>> WE'RE IN THE ERA OF THE BILLION DOLLAR CAMPAIGN.
THAT IS HOW YOUR TABLE STAKES RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.
>> UNTIL THEY HAD TO, THE REPUBLICAN ESTABLISHMENT DIDN'T
WANT TRUMP, PUSHED HIM AWAY, HE'S NOT ONE OF US, DIDN'T SHARE
OUR PRINCIPLES, OUR PARTY, THE ESTABLISHMENT DOESN'T LIKE THEM,
BUT HE HAS THE DONOR, BASE, AND NO TRUMP STATES ON TRUMP'S SIDE.
LET'S LISTEN TO DeSANTIS. YOU MIGHT NOT LOVE EVERYTHING
ABOUT ME, MY RECORD, I CAN WIN. >> WE'VE SHOWN IN FLORIDA IS YOU
CAN STAND UP FOR TRUTH, YOU CAN STAND ON PRINCIPLE, YOU CAN
FIGHT THE WOKE ELITE, AND YOU CAN WIN.
I DON'T THINK YOU CAN EVER FIND A GOVERNOR IN HISTORY THAT HAS
BEEN ATTACKED MORE THAN ME FOR STANDING UP FOR WHAT'S TRUE.
WE'VE ACCOMPLISHED MORE OVER A FOUR-YEAR PERIOD THAN ANYBODY
THOUGHT POSSIBLE. BUT I CAN TELL YOU THIS, WE'VE
GOT A LOT MORE TO DO. AND I HAVE ONLY BEGUN TO FIGHT.
>> THERE IS A TRUMP-Y MESSAGE TO THAT.
GO AFTER THE WOKE PEOPLE, THE MEDIA.
>> ALSO THE ONLY I CAN -- >> ONLY I.
BUT HE ESSENTIALLY COMES TO THE TABLE WITH I HAVE MORE THAN 10%
OF THE VOTES TO BECOME PRESIDENT, I HAVE FLORIDA, THANK
YOU VERY MUCH. >> HE DOES BRING A LOT OF
TRUMP-Y ELEMENTS WITHOUT BEING TRUMP ITSELF WHICH IS WHY IF YOU
TALK TO REPUBLICANS WHO DON'T LIKE TRUMP THEY CAN BE OPEN TO
SUPPORTING GR SUPPORTING GOVERNOR DeSANTIS.
THE FACT THAT HE WON RESOUNDINGLY IS CERTAINLY A PLUS
IN HIS FAVOR. >> IT HELPS EVERYBODY.
>> HE HAD A WEAK OPPONENT BUT HE STILL WON.
IN THE END IT GOES IN THE BAOOK AS A WIN.