DeSantis 'the ultimate performative politician' on outrage but not 'in-person performance': report

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) is the best at performative politics when it comes to beating down policies perceived as "woke," but his performances falter when it comes to the in-person aspects of professional politics, according to a new report.

The mirage of DeSantis was different than the real man when he appeared in the "fidgety flesh," writes Mark Leibovich, a staff writer at The Atlantic. Leibovich reportedly covered DeSantis' recent appearances at various events in New Hampshire.

"What does the on-paper promise of DeSantis look like in practice? DeSantis has performed a number of these in-person chores in recent days, after announcing his presidential campaign on May 24 in a glitchy Twitter Spaces appearance with Elon Musk," Leibovich wrote on Saturday. "As I watched him complete his rounds in New Hampshire on Thursday—visits to a VFW hall, an Elks Club, and a community college, in addition to the American Legion post—the essential duality of his campaign was laid bare: DeSantis is the ultimate performative politician when it comes to demonstrating outrage and 'kneecapping' various woke abuses—but not so much when it comes to the actual in-person performance of politics."

In his New Hampshire visits, DeSantis reportedly repeated "woke" more than a dozen times at each event stop, yet strayed away from key topics of the day, including gun violence, the number one cause of death for children in the United States.

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"His whole act can feel like a clunky contrivance—a forced persona railing against phony or hyped-up outrages. He can be irascible," Leibovich wrote. "Steve Peoples, a reporter for the Associated Press, approached DeSantis after a speech at a VFW hall in Laconia and asked the governor why he hadn’t taken any questions from the audience. 'Are you blind?' DeSantis snapped at Peoples."

Leibovich continued:

“'Politics is not about entertainment,' DeSantis said in all of his New Hampshire speeches, usually at the end. He might be trying to prove as much."