On Wednesday there was a second GOP debate. It’s not clear why. Donald Trump, who’s polling in double digits above his rivals, didn’t even feel compelled to be there. So who was the winner? According to Ron DeSantis, it was Ron DeSantis. He’s doing so well that talk show hosts are zinging him to his face.
Bill Maher to Ron DeSantis: “Let’s face it Ron, if this campaign was going well, you wouldn’t be on this show.” (Video: HBO) pic.twitter.com/XkBJD4jzRV
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) September 30, 2023
On Friday the Florida governor went on Real Time with Bill Maher, where he tried to laugh off how terribly his campaign has gone thus far. Maher started with Wednesday’s non-event.
“The debate, it was a sh*tshow,” Maher told DeSantis. “I heard you won, I heard the polling said you won. What did you win? No, honestly. With Trump not in the race, what did you win?”
DeSantis tried to spin it, saying, “In the midst of all the show that happened. I was the one guy that people said, ‘You know what, this guy’s actually acting like a president,’ when the rest were not.”
But Maher continued to pelt him. “Why run against Trump? You’re trying to thread this needle that will never happen,” before adding, “I mean, let’s face it Ron, if this campaign was going well, you wouldn’t be on this show.”
After a nervous laugh, DeSantis said that wasn’t “true.” He then elaborated:
“One, I don’t think he could win the election. I could win the election. Two, I don’t think he could actually get the job done that we need to do. For example, Covid. I think we need accountability for what this government did to this country with the Covid restrictions, mandates, and lockdowns. Donald Trump is not gonna do that. He says he did everything right!”
It’s not clear why he thinks Trump can’t win. Maybe it’s all those indictments? But not even finally getting his legal comeuppance — or saying one embarrassingly bizarre thing after another — may be enough to stop him.
(Via Mediaite)