Ron DeSantis is having a *really* bad week

Ruh Roh, Ron.

(Ron DeSantis)

It’s not good to be Ron DeSantis at the moment.

The Florida governor, already struggling to maintain his status as the main challenger to former President Donald Trump, is having a very bad week.

DeSantis came to Washington earlier this week for what was supposed to be a sort of informal kickoff of his campaign inside the Beltway. The idea was that he would meet with Members of Congress — many of whom are his former colleagues — and maybe even pick up an endorsement or two.

It was an an unmitigated disaster.

Trump announced the endorsement of three more Florida House members on the eve of DeSantis’ trip — including one from Rep. Greg Steube that was particularly cutting.

“I hear from constituents all the time that want him to finish out his term and support President Trump,” Steube told Politico of DeSantis.

Then there was this from Politico about Steube:

DeSantis has never once reached out to him during his five years in Congress nor replied to his multiple attempts to connect. He recalled a recent news conference dealing with damage from Hurricane Ian where the governor’s aides initially invited him to stand alongside DeSantis, only to tell him that he wouldn’t be part of the event when he showed up.

OOMPH.

Then there was the case of Texas Rep. Lance Gooden, who walked right out of the meeting with DeSantis to endorse Trump. Explained Gooden via Twitter:

Today, after careful consideration and a positive meeting with Governor DeSantis, I have decided to endorse President @realDonaldTrump for 2024. I look forward to fighting alongside him to reclaim our country from the leftist forces trying to destroy it.

A Trump ally described that endorsement as a “killer.”

And the Florida endorsements just keep coming. On Thursday, Rep. Michael Waltz endorsed Trump for president. Which might sting even more given that Waltz holds the seat in Congress DeSantis did before he ran for governor in 2018.

“A great group of supportive Florida Congressmen and Congresswomen, all who have Endorsed me, will be coming to Mar-a-Lago tonight,” Trump posted Thursday. “Our support is almost universal in Florida and throughout the USA. They remember fondly all of the incredible things I did while in office, one of the most successful Administrations in History. Will be a great night!”

Now, congressional endorsements don’t win you a primary. If they did Jeb(!) Bush would have been the 2016 Republican nominee. Or Phil Gramm.

But, that Trump is successfully messing with DeSantis in his own backyard is particularly galling — and embarrassing — for the Florida governor.

Campaigns that are building momentum are ones that are picking up endorsements since — surprise, surprise — politicians like being with winners. DeSantis doesn’t look like a winner right now. Trump very much does.

But it’s not just getting beat in the endorsement game that has hamstrung DeSantis this week.

There was this scathing story in the Orlando Sentinel about the debate between his top aides about a) when to announce his candidacy. Here’s the key bit from the story:

In interviews with more than 20 Republican strategists, DeSantis allies and current and former elected officials, many expressed a growing anxiety about DeSantis’ approach, fretting that a politician who started the year with so much momentum is starting to falter before he even formally becomes a presidential candidate.

Their overarching concern: The Florida Republican has already waited too long to launch, leaving him ill-prepared to defend against the former president’s bludgeoning attacks and lagging in the type of on-the-ground organizing critical in states with an early nominating contest.

Then there’s new piece from Politico’s Florida Man Gary Fineout headlined: “‘Deeply frustrated': Florida legislators worn out by DeSantis.”

That piece includes these lines:

Part of the angst has been sparked by a grinding session where legislators have pushed through bill after bill — and chewed up hours of contentious debate — that’s considered integral to DeSantis’ expected presidential campaign. DeSantis’ announcement this week that he wanted legislators to take aim again at Disney has irritated conservative Republicans loath to target private businesses.

One GOP legislator privately said: “We’re not the party of cancel culture. We can’t keep doing this tit for tat.” The lawmaker was granted anonymity to speak freely about the GOP governor.

Which, at the risk of repeating myself, OOMPH.

One of DeSantis’ signature policy pushes has been to try to strip Disney off its special tax exempt status in the state due to their “going woke” or something. DeSantis appointed a hand-picked board of loyalists to oversee the Disney district.

Disney fought back. As one of the final acts of the board they controlled, they severely limited the power that the new DeSantis board would have over the theme park and the company.

DeSantis, just this week, sought to fight back — again — by suggesting that he might build a prison next to Disneyworld (very mature!) or build a state theme park to rival Disney’s (good luck!).

It reeked of pure personal animus — and DeSantis cutting of his nose despite his face. (Disney brings millions of dollars every year into Florida.)

Trump, never one to let a controversy go by, blasted DeSantis for his latest moves.

All of this is happening before DeSantis is even a formally announced candidate — which, apparently, won’t even happen for another month or so.

It’s possible that once he gets into the race, all of these early hiccups won’t matter because DeSantis — as an official candidate — will run a stronger and more competent campaign than he has to date.

But, man oh man, the week (and really months) that DeSantis has endured of late have raised questions about whether all of the buzz around him following his 2022 reelection victory was warranted.

And right now — based on all available evidence — you have to say it might not have been.