Dana Perino: Polling shows DeSantis has 'room to grow' ahead of 2024
Fox News' Dana Perino provides analysis as former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are expected to face off in the 2024 presidential election.
A new hit against potential 2024 presidential candidate Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., revealed Thursday was the unusual claim that the governor once ate chocolate pudding with three fingers.
The article by The Daily Beast on DeSantis’ "aloof" personality was said to have been sourced from the accounts of anonymous former staffers and GOP operatives. Reporters Jake Lahut and Zachary Petrizzo said that DeSantis "struggles with basic social skills," displaying "an aversion to small talk" and "general pleasantries" which "make him difficult" during unplanned interactions.
Among several claims about his personal habits, one assertion the article focused on was DeSantis’ table manners.
"The chatter over DeSantis’ public engagement has also surfaced past unflattering stories about his social skills—particularly, his propensity to devour food during meetings," the reporters wrote.
AXIOS FIRES REPORTER WHO CALLED DESANTIS PRESS RELEASE ‘PROPAGANDA’
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis was called out for allegedly eating pudding with his fingers in a "very intimate" setting. (Screenshot/First Coast News)
They continued, "Enshrined in DeSantis lore is an episode from four years ago: During a private plane trip from Tallahassee to Washington, D.C., in March of 2019, DeSantis enjoyed a chocolate pudding dessert—by eating it with three of his fingers, according to two sources familiar with the incident."
The article also featured a quote from an alleged former staffer who told The Daily Beast, "He would sit in meetings and eat in front of people…always like a starving animal who has never eaten before… getting s--- everywhere."
The pudding anecdote, in particular, was highlighted by Lahut in his promotion of the story on his Twitter account.
"New — Ex-DeSantis staffers and those involved in planning his book tour/pre-campaign events describe long standing issues over his soft skills coming to the fore as he hits the road. Example: A 2019 flight from TLH to DC where he ate pudding w/ 3 fingers," Lahut tweeted.
Another tweet included screenshots from his article giving further details, "The pudding incident, which former DeSantis staffers describe as a common instance of him not reading the room (in this case, a very intimate flight cabin)."
(Scott Suchman/For the Washington Post)
Lahut's tweets about the pudding story received lighthearted reactions on Twitter from both sides of the aisle.
Former Obama staffer Tommy Vietor tweeted, "There is nothing wrong with this. Let the man eat his pudding."
"America needs a president who eats KFC with a fork and knife to protect the republic from this monstrousness," MSNBC columnist Zeeshan Aleem wrote.
Eater Seattle editor Harry Cheadle commented, "never thought I'd say that DeSantis was relatable."
Others mocked Lahut and compared DeSantis' alleged actions to those of President Biden.
"You...you actually wrote this, and placed your name on it. We now await the Florida legislature taking up impeachment hearing talks as a result of Lahut's massive expose'. This changes the campaign landscape," Townhall.com columnist Brad Slager joked.
CNN commentator Scott Jennings remarked, "the current president will sniff your hair and shakes hands with the air, but yes DeSantis struggles with soft skills."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis waves as he arrives for a news conference at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, on Key Biscayne, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
"One time, Ron DeSantis ate pudding with three fingers. Meanwhile, Biden would go on a tangent about his first pudding in 1954 and how it led him to accepting transgender athletes," RedState senior editor Joe Cunningham tweeted.
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DeSantis’ office did not respond to Fox News Digital for a comment by publication.
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