DeSantis campaign eyes ‘reboot’ in effort to catch Trump: report

July 21, 2023

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign is planning a “reboot” in an effort to catch up to former President Donald Trump in the polls, according to a report.

“The entire campaign is on the brink,” a person familiar with the Sunshine State governor’s presidential campaign told NBC News on Thursday. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Campaign officials told the news outlet that the planned reboot will involve de-emphasizing DeSantis’ Florida accomplishments in favor of promoting more national issues and cutting down on the costs of events.

The source added that morale within the campaign is “downright low.”

The DeSantis campaign ended the second quarter of the year with a cash burn rate of about 39%, with only entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley having a higher burn rate among the entire 2024 GOP field.

Ron Desantis — DeSantis plans to deemphasize his achievements as Gov. of Florida in favor of promoting national issues.

DeSantis brought in $20.1 million in donations in the second quarter, but has less cash in the bank than the 2024 Republican presidential primary front-runner – Trump.

The 77-year-old former president has $22.5 million in the bank compared to DeSantis’ $12.2 million, and Trump leads DeSantis by more than 32 percentage points, according to a RealClearPolitics average of national polls.

The NBC News report notes that the Florida governor also has a high number of maxed-out donors and his campaign postponed paying some outstanding bills until after the second-quarter reporting deadline in an effort to mask some of its financial difficulties.

Roughly a dozen people have already been laid off by the DeSantis campaign, which “shook” staffers, according to NBC News, but more budget-related layoffs are not planned.

The report adds that the campaign’s new approach will also involve more interviews with national media and greater media access to DeSantis, as well as events in more intimate venues.

The DeSantis campaign did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.