A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis, after releasing a video in which he said he was “100% confident” in his approach to fighting coronavirus, lauding a bipartisan effort, continued the soft sell Thursday with a special guest.
The Governor held a roundtable in Tampa Bay, which saw the reintroduction of First Lady Casey DeSantis in what was a showcase spot.
“I have 100% confidence we’re going to get through this,” the former broadcast news presenter said, referring to the coronavirus crisis.
The virus has wrought havoc, with over 300,000 cumulative cases and over 4,600 confirmed deaths through Wednesday. But amidst the chaos, the First Lady was a voice of calm.
“I can tell you everyday, when I wake up and see the better half with the numbers, I see him working his tail off,” Mrs. DeSantis said.
She joked that she said it was “good to see him again” because “he’s at the office 24/7.”
“I can tell you there’s a lot of people who are in the office 24/7. And they’re workin’ their tails off,” the First Lady added, noting that those people are “great people … Floridians and Americans.”
As the event went on, the First Lady continued with the “better half” refrain, a reassurance that seemed tailored to live mics more than to the Governor himself, part of a recent narrative move to soften the Governor’s image after weeks of partisan theatrics apparently ran their course.
The Governor invoked the First Lady in a press availability days before, in which he said that while they didn’t have school aged children themselves, he sold her on allowing them to go back to school if only they were old enough.
“My own wife, our kids aren’t school-aged yet, I tell her that they’re at zero risk, I have no problem putting them in, and I think that convinced her. She said she would do it too.”
For DeSantis, who often struggles with message calibration in press events, his wife by his side is a plus.
She is able to use the same reassuring cadences familiar to viewers of Jacksonville morning television to make the case that, despite COVID-19 running rampant, the Governor is giving the fight everything he has.
While the placidity was short-lived, with a spirited question and answer session closing the afternoon’s event, the First Lady continues to be a formidable political asset, likely to be deployed more going forward.
7 comments
Frankie M.
July 16, 2020 at 2:17 pm
Great! Let her substitute teach 3rd grade in an overcrowded, underfunded Title 1 public school. Maybe she can bring her kids for show & tell? Don’t forget your masks. #maskup #wegotthis
DisplacedCTYankee
July 16, 2020 at 2:19 pm
Gov DeMAGA “deploys” his wife like he deployed his infant child in a MAGA shirt in his 2018 campaign ads. That’s the GOP for you — family values.
S.B. Anthony
July 16, 2020 at 2:20 pm
Who cares what she thinks or what she has to say as long as they’re doing nothing to stop the spread of Covid? Making her the face of Florida’s Covid response only insults our intelligence. She’s just another Morticia and all she’s doing is enabling the “governor’s” lies. Dump them both and let’s get some real leadership in Florida. Remember in November and in 2022.
Sonja Fitch
July 16, 2020 at 2:46 pm
So what ? One time I saw here do the news at noon and instead of giving the news. She just said “Yada Yada.Yada.”
Frankie M.
July 16, 2020 at 3:39 pm
What is Ronnie doing with the numbahs? Is he cooking the books?? Casey needs to get back in the kitchen so she can rattle those pots & pans. Come back out for the next photo op.
Just sayin'
July 17, 2020 at 12:49 pm
The more she talks, the better he looks. Really, he should just have her be his spokesman.
Lisa Wright
July 17, 2020 at 1:32 pm
Right now it’s his job to work 24/7. Yes, he may be working hard but there is scant evidence he is working smart.
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