Ron DeSantis mocked for placing himself at the mercy of 'petulant man-child' Elon Musk
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaking at Lynchburg, Virginia, on April 14, 2023. (Shutterstock.com)

Ron DeSantis opened himself up to mockery by launching his presidential campaign alongside capricious billionaire Elon Musk, according to a new column by conservative Charlie Sykes.

The Florida governor will reportedly announce his 2024 bid for the White House during a chat on Twitter with CEO Elon Musk, and Sykes published a column on The Bulwark that questioned his political instincts and judgment.

"In 2023, a major candidate for president of the United States is paying court to an erratic, decompensating, narcissistic, endlessly needy, petulant man-child, who has spent the past few months posting poop emojis, taking counsel from someone called catturd, and destroying the social media platform he bought on a whim," Sykes wrote.

"Along the way, Musk has opened the door to bigots, crackpots, conspiracy theorists, charlatans, and the insane of every stripe, while displaying his own brainworms on a regular basis."

The social media mogul fancies himself a kingmaker, Sykes wrote, and DeSantis was indulging in that fantasy -- which comes with a cost.

"Meatball is also now at the mercy of Elon’s whims," Sykes wrote, using Donald Trump's nickname for his closest rival. "Just days ago, Musk was emoting over Tim Scott; and tomorrow he may decide that DeSantis is cold product. He could endorse, unendorse, praise, mock, embrace, and discard the Florida man in one of his 24-hour manic bursts of a--holery."

"Meatball would be well and truly screwed," he added.