During a prime-time interview with Newsmax on Thursday night, Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis once again experienced technical difficulties that made him the target of significant mockery on social media. The interview, conducted by Newsmax's Eric Bolling, saw the governor freezing up on two separate occasions.
The first freeze-up occurred as DeSantis criticized the NAACP's recent warning about his state's "openly hostile" environment toward Black people. Rather than address the organization's travel advisory directly, he rehashed a common GOP talking point about crime in urban centers.
DeSantis said:
“If you’re in Chicago or you’re in Baltimore, these kids have a better chance of getting shot than getting a decent education."
But then for nearly 20 seconds, both DeSantis and Bolling appeared motionless on screen, leaving viewers bewildered.
You can watch what happened in the video below.
The interview was also notable for DeSantis' declaration that he has embraced "bold colors" rather than a "pale pastel" approach.
DeSantis' statement seemingly aimed to emphasize his strong and decisive leadership style, portraying himself as an assertive force in Florida's political landscape. However, the significance and impact of this statement were overshadowed by the technical difficulties that plagued the interview.
Following the technical glitches in the live broadcast, Newsmax took corrective measures.
The network published a YouTube video of the interview, replacing the frozen visuals with an animated press release graphic that had aired moments earlier. However, in an attempt to rectify the blunders, the network slowed down the animation to ensure a smoother transition.
Despite these efforts, the glitches during the interview left many questioning the professionalism of the production team and the preparedness of the campaign.
DeSantis was swiftly mocked as a result.
The incident on Newsmax came just a day after DeSantis was criticized for his entrance into the 2024 presidential race during a glitch-ridden Twitter event hosted by Elon Musk, the billionaire Twitter CEO.
The occasion swiftly devolved into a mortifying debacle, marred by vexing technical hiccups, inadvertent microphone mishaps, and fragmented exchanges that persisted for over 20 minutes before abruptly vanishing. Eventually, the livestream recommenced, leaving a multitude of listeners in suspense, eagerly awaiting even a solitary utterance from DeSantis.
As the Twitter audio livestream faltered, the reaction, both within and outside the platform, resonated with astonishment and derision.
The hashtag #Desaster proliferated across numerous posts, while others seized the opportunity to mock the failure.
Even President Joe Biden's personal @JoeBiden account contributed to the chorus, sharing a link with a sardonic comment:
"This link works."
The link Biden provided was for making campaign donations to the Democratic Party.
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