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A recent incident involving Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida being handed a supposed ‘participation trophy’ has spread like wildfire across various social media platforms. This peculiar event stems from DeSantis’s political outing in the cozy town of Atlantic, Iowa, during the critical prelude to the state’s looming Republican caucus.
DeSantis, who was previously perceived as a serious contender against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has witnessed a considerable degradation of his standing. Regarding his position within the prospective Republican caucus electorate, a joint poll by NBC News, Mediacom, and The Des Moines Register ranked him thirdly, trailing behind ex-Governor Nikki Haley of South Carolina.
The unexpected encounter surfaced while DeSantis and his spouse, Casey DeSantis, were preparing to engage their support base in Atlantic. An individual, wielding a tiny trophy, proceeded to interrupt the impending session, directing his words at the Governor: ‘A quick interlude before we dive in, much gratitude to all present.
Governor DeSantis, allow me to endow upon you this participation trophy. We know elections likely won’t go your way, but we applaud your endeavors.’ His statement kindled chuckles among the crowd, including Casey, before the Governor retorted: ‘I don’t cater to the culture of participation trophies. Better luck next time, friend.’
MUST WATCH: a man walks up to desantis and hands him a participation trophy. He says “you probably aren’t going to win this election.”
Incredible ???
pic.twitter.com/mVQ0v4qpTP— Alex Bruesewitz ?? (@alexbruesewitz) January 13, 2024
Delighting in the irony of his actions, the prankster, unveiled by The Daily Mail to be Davram Stiefler, a part of the comedy duo The Good Liars, made one final quip towards DeSantis: ‘Our unique, distinctive snowflake.’
This triggered action from security who ushered him promptly out of the premises. The 24-second footage capturing this idiosyncratic occasion was distributed by Samantha-Jo Roth, a reporter for the Washington Examiner. The video has surpassed 1.4 million views, cultivating nearly 6,000 likes.
The aforementioned joint poll, administered by NBC News, Mediacom, and The Des Moines Register between the dates of January 7 and January 12, suggested a significant leaning towards Trump. As per the published results, 48 percent of the likely Iowa Republican caucus electorate thought Trump to be the ideal candidate, followed by Haley at 20 percent, and subsequently, DeSantis with 16 percent.
Fast forward to January 13, 2024, Governor Ron DeSantis finds himself in the heart of Atlantic, Iowa, on a campaign mission. Here, a cynical attempt was made to bestow upon DeSantis the ‘participation accolade’. This episode unfolded in anticipation of the Iowa caucus poised to occur on the following Monday.
On the following Wednesday, DeSantis and Haley clashed once again, this time on the stage of the fifth Republican presidential debate that unfolded in Des Moines, Iowa. Contrarily, Trump elected to maintain his absence from the event. During the exchange, DeSantis directed a staunch critique at Haley, painting her as representative of a ‘corporate-oriented’ facet in the Republican Party, and admonishing her for welcoming Disney to South Carolina, despite their involvement with controversial issues regarding children.
Haley retracted DeSantis’s accusation. She pledged her commitment against giving in to ‘woke culture’, insights that we must refrain from ‘genders transition for anyone below the age of 18’, and to be aware of Disney’s long-standing ‘woke’ disposition.
DeSantis’s contentious relationship with Disney, a leading employment source for Florida, traces its roots back to 2022. The legacy company voiced discontent with his legislative action, the Parental Rights in Education bill, a piece of legislation which critics have labeled the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill.
A subsequent political landmark awaits Donald Trump just eight days following the Iowa Caucus. This event being the New Hampshire primary, where Trump’s lead over Haley has diminished to a mere four points, according to recent polling data.
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