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New video obtained exclusively by ABC News shows Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in
debate prep sessions when he first ran for governor five years ago.
DeSantis would need to win over Trump voters,
an issue he grappled with in the past as he ran for governor.
>> Is there any issue upon which you disagree with President Trump?
>> Obviously there is, because I have voted contrary to him in the Congress.
>> Looks like someone leaked footage of Ron DeSantis's debate prep as he
was running for the gubernatorial election in Florida in 2018.
And we have learned some interesting things from the leaked footage.
I should note that ABC News obtained over 2 hours of footage,
and so far, they've only put out a tiny, tiny bit.
I'm wondering if they're maybe keeping some of this for
their back pocket as the 2024 presidential election heats up.
Ron DeSantis is planning to run in the primary according to multiple reports.
Now, the footage goes on to show DeSantis talking about how to handle
disagreements with Donald Trump.
And hearing his advisers essentially urge him to present himself as likable.
Let's watch.
>> Sources say DeSantis's team is already prepping for
the 2024 presidential debates.
DeSantis would need to win over Trump voters,
an issue he grappled with in the past as he ran for governor.
>> Is there any issue upon which you disagree with President Trump?
>> Obviously there is, because I voted contrary to him in the Congress.
>> The past internal recordings offering a rare glimpse into how DeSantis has
previously wrestled with how to appeal to Trump's loyal base.
>> But I have to frame it in a way that's not gonna piss off all his voters.
So what I do is I do what I think is right.
I support his agenda in terms of what he's been able to do.
If I have a disagreement, I talk to him in private.
>> Florida lawmakers Matt Gaetz and Byron Donalds helping DeSantis then, but
have since endorsed Trump's third White House bid.
In the video, aides coaching DeSantis on a range of topics,
including how to be likable.
>> I think when you walk up there, you have a pad,
you have to write in all caps at the top of the pad likeable.
I do the same thing [INAUDIBLE].
>> Before we get into the actual substance of this story,
I have to say it is disconcerting.
It makes me very uncomfortable to see Matt Gaetz wearing a nirvana t shirt.
With that said, Cenk, take it away.
>> Yeah, so to be fair to Matt Gaetz,
because we're the fairest show in America and to representative Donald.
They're not prepping him against Donald Trump in a debate.
It's all the way back in 2018.
They're prepping him about a question he might
get about Trump when he's running in Florida.
And they have to prepare how do you massage that and
say you disagree with them enough not to lose independent votes, but
you agree with them enough to keep your base votes, okay.
So that is debate prep 101.
So Gaetz and Donald were not attacking Donald Trump there.
And I think a lot of the press coverage has made it seem like they are.
And I don't want you guys to get the wrong idea.
I don't like Gaetz, or DeSantis, or Trump, or any of them, but
to be fair to them, they were not trying to get DeSantis ready against Trump.
>> No, again, this was for the gubernatorial race in 2018.
But, it does bring up the fact that, I mean, Ron DeSantis in the leaked footage,
admits as they're prepping him, that when he was in Congress,
he did vote against some of Trump's policies.
>> Yeah. >> And so that's kind of fun [LAUGH]
>> Yeah, for sure.
I'd love to see the debate prep now because it looks like he's gonna enter
the race next month, and then he's gonna have to debate the big dog, and
then that's gonna be a mess.
Okay, but look, so everybody's talking about him versus Trump within the context
of these leaked tapes, but I found two other parts way more interesting.
>> Yeah. >> Okay, yeah,
one is the one we just showed you, and
I don't know if you could hear it clearly enough, but his consultant is telling him,
or his aide is telling him, when you get up to the podium in the actual debate,
write on a piece of paper in big letters, likable.
>> How pathetic is that?
>> Because you have to appear to be likable because we all know you're not.
>> How pathetic is it that you have to remind yourself that in the context of
running for public office, you must appear likable?
>> Yeah, and they know for certain that he is not likable.
>> I mean- >> okay, so, wow, okay.
And then the second thing was, they explained that he's not good at taking
criticism, so they keep coaching him, like when if the other person attacks,
which is hilarious because he was going up against Democrats.
Democrats are never gonna attack, so they didn't have to waste their time on that.
I mean, Donald Trump, in like, a couple of ads, has already done way
more damage to DeSantis than all the Democrats he's ever run against.
But okay, anyway, they say to him just to be prepared in case the Democrat wakes up
and attacks you.
Remember, don't get super mad because you look weird and
do weird things when you get criticized because it bothers you so much.
>> Yes, I can't help it.
I'm gonna get to my favorite part of the story.
>> Go.
>> This my favorite part, okay.
So to that effect, DeSantis apparently has trouble with his face.
>> True. >> That is what strategists
are telling him.
Okay, so sources tell ABC News, this is a graphic three.
Sources tell ABC News that during DeSantis's primary debate prep
in recent weeks, his team has been paying close attention to how to
help manage the governor's facial reactions.
Ron always had a problem with letting attacks, to your point Cenk,
get to him and getting visibly shaken by them, one former adviser who
was previously involved in debate prep with DeSantis told ABC News.
Not sure how that would play with Trump standing across from him.
And here's how it would play.
If he doesn't take these notes to heart and
doesn't consider his facial expressions as he's being beaten down on by Donald Trump,
this is exactly what will happen, okay?
That weird face he made when he was in Japan and
he was asked about Donald Trump's attacks against him, it was so strange.
I don't know why he made that facial expression.
It showed how uncomfortable he was.
>> He did it twice actually, once in Japan,
once another time we showed it on the show last week.
He does this weird thing where it's not just the stills that he does.
He opens his mouth and then wobbles his head in the most maniacal way.
Goes like, you're like,
Dude, are you okay?
He's almost like he's having a seizure or something.
So this guy's gonna beat Donald Trump.
A guy, look, remember, we're not the ones telling him to fix his face.
It's his team that's saying it.
They're like, hey, Ron, really, we're trying to help you win here.
And one of our top notes is fix your face, okay?
And you're deeply unlikable, so, I don't know, remind yourself to pretend
to be likable, and that guy's gonna beat Donald Trump in a primary.
That's why when Trump blew the midterm elections and
the Republicans lost all the close races because of his clownish antics,
everybody's like, DeSantis, he's got him.
And we were like, you sure, dog?
Because Meatball Ron has never been tested.
He's only run against Democrats.
>> That's right.
>> And Florida Democrats.
Like the weakest Democrats in the country are Florida Democrats.
They can't beat Rick Scott, the biggest crook in American history.
They can't beat anybody, right?
And now Andrew Gilliam barely avoided going to prison, okay?
I mean, these are the guys who ran his Charlie Chris.
Why, stop running him.
Stop running Charlie Chris, okay?
Jesus Christ.
>> Governor, polls show you falling behind Trump.
Any thoughts on that?
>> I'm not a candidate, so we'll see if and when that changes.