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Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis was widely mocked online after a Fox News interview he gave sparked immediate comparisons to Homelander, the unstable villain on the Prime Video series The Boys.
In the third season of the series, the psychopathic antagonist, portrayed by Antony Starr, engages in media interviews amid ongoing controversies. Homelander's forced smile and calculated demeanor mirror that of a parody of Superman, as he attempts to shape public perception by proclaiming his excitement for others to meet the "real me."
And in his Fox News interview, DeSantis—who has already been criticized for lacking social graces—displayed a similarly strained smile as he was questioned about a memo originating from the Never Back Down Super PAC, which proposed a strategic plan for the upcoming Republican presidential primary debate scheduled for Wednesday, August 23.
The outlined plan entails a four-part strategy for how to win the Republican debate:
- Attack Joe Biden and the media 3-5 times.
- State [DeSantis]' positive vision 2-3 times.
- Hammer Vivek Ramaswamy in a response.
- Defend Donald Trump in absentia in response to a Chris Christie attack.
But DeSantis denied having any knowledge of the memo and its contents—and the smile he gave during such serious, damaging questioning only made things worse.
You can watch the moment in the video below.
DeSantis—who insisted the memo is “not mine”—said:
"I know from the military, when you’re over the target, that’s when you’re taking flak. If you look, really, in the last six to nine months, I’ve been more attacked than anybody else."
"Biden, Harris, the media, the left, other Republican candidates...there’s a reason for that, because people know I’m the biggest threat, so we view it as positive feedback."
"We'll be ready to do what we need to do to deliver our message."
The interview faced further scrutiny and mockery, with viewers drawing parallels between DeSantis' smile and that of Homelander.
Polling data shows that former President Donald Trump continues to leave DeSantis in the dust despite facing almost 100 charges across four different criminal indictments.
Recent surveys, including one by CBS News and YouGov, reveal a substantial gap between DeSantis and his competitors.
The poll shows that Trump maintains a commanding lead among Republicans with a remarkable 62% support. In contrast, DeSantis lags behind with 16%, a little over a quarter of Trump's backing.
Given this glaring disparity, it would appear imperative for DeSantis to make a strategic move to challenge Trump's supremacy. However, the documents from DeSantis' debate preparation indicate a contrasting approach.