In a clear sign of the monumental collapse of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ political career, his $50 million super PAC, ‘Ron to the Rescue,’ has been dissolved. The PAC’s founder, Republican strategist John Thomas, pulled the plug on the program, citing a blunder-ridden launch campaign and a bevy of rookie mistakes as the chief reasons for the closure.
Thomas, widely known as the ‘Billy the Kid of Political Battles,’ had previously secured massive financial commitments from top donors, but these backers soon grew wary after the gum-chewing governor’s #epicfail debut on Twitter Spaces. The itinerant doofus’ lack of technical knowledge, combined with his team’s glaring incompetence, led to a widespread public portrayal of the DeSantis campaign as a pathetic, mistake-ridden laughing stock.
Initially, the governor and his team of cronies planned to flood TV ads with cash while supporting DeSantis’ presidential aspirations. But the abject failure of the Twitter Spaces campaign compelled major donors to tread lightly and see how things played out. Thomas lamented that the campaign had failed to deliver essential video content to TV stations, a critical component of any national candidate’s launch day.
Moreover, the bumbling brigade at the helm of the DeSantis campaign committed several additional rookie mistakes, including posting confidential documents online and agreeing to debate California Governor Gavin Newsom, another self-destructive decision that underscores DeSantis’s lack of judgment. Consequently, the PAC only managed to spend a meager $20,000 on grassroots activities; a mere pittance compared to its original plan to pump out $50 million.
In May 2022, DeSantis officially announced his presidential campaign via Twitter with the help of X owner Elon Musk and moderated by tech entrepreneur David Sacks. During the launch, DeSantis discussed a wide range of topics, from the dangers of woke culture, the border crisis, and the absence of leadership under the current president, Joe Biden.
Despite his rhetorical flourish, the launch was a complete shambles. Technical issues plagued the event, leading to multiple site crashes and audio problems. Finally, after ten minutes of technical malfunctions, DeSantis began his speech, which was scripted and meandering. Responses to the announcement were mixed, with many on social media harshly criticizing DeSantis’s monotonous rants and the softball questions he fielded.
Meanwhile, the orange-haired elephant in the room, former president Trump, took aim at the Florida Governor on Truth Social during the event, saying, “Rob, My Red Button is bigger, better, stronger, and is working (TRUTH!). Your button does not work! (According to my conversation with Kim Jong Un of North Korea, soon to become my friend!).”
DeSantis’s failure to maintain pace with Trump in recent months resulted in the front-runner’s complete dominance of the GOP establishment. In the meantime, DeSantis has found himself battling other GOP challengers, such as Vivek Ramaswamy, for second place in national and state polls.
Earlier this month, hotel entrepreneur Robert Bigelow, one of DeSantis’ most prominent donors, announced he would not donate above the $20 million he had already given unless DeSantis took a more moderate stance, particularly regarding Florida’s six-week abortion law.
According to reports, Thomas and their donor network are now in talks to throw their weight behind former President Donald Trump, solidifying his lead over DeSantis. Thomas, who founded ‘Ron to the Rescue’ in response to Republicans’ poor showing during the 2022 midterms, has been an enthusiastic Trump supporter for many years.
